Colors
by Oraclespeaker
Summary: A collection of discussions between Phil and a blind Dan about colors starting from when they were both seven years old. As their friendship evolves and Phil does his best to describe different colors to Dan, they find themselves growing closer and closer, until finally... well, this is a Phanfic, so that should be obvious. T is for later chapters. For now it's K
1. Part 1 Describe Red, Please

A/N: More Phan! This one will have separate parts to it. Sorry to all who have been following The World in Black and White. I HAVE been working on it, so hopefully I can update it soon! There should only be a few more parts, as the truth is starting to crash down on everyone, so I hope you like this fic in the mean time. Also, I have re-discovered my Doctor Who fic and WILL resurrect it after I finish TWIBAW! And if you don't know who Dan and Phil are... go look up danisnotonfire and Amazing Phil on Youtube. Perhaps you will be entertained till I update again. Anyways, enjoy the fluffs!

Colors

Part 1: Describe Red, Please.

Phil wandered down the confusing hallways of his new school, befuddled and utterly lost. How was a seven year old supposed to navigate such twisty corridors that all looked exactly the same? Getting frustrated, and a little scared that he might be lost in this prison forever, Phil sank to a sitting position in the middle of one of the gigantic hallways and curled his legs up against his chest, hugging them closely.

He already didn't like this place. It was much too large. And it was cold. And far too quiet.

He glanced up at the window at the end of the hall, rain softly pattering against the glass.

And too gloomy.

Phil buried his head into his left arm, covered by his warm, soft, soothing red hoodie. It was nice, and it smelled like his mum. What if he never saw his mum again? What if he just remained trapped here amongst the teachers lurking just out of view and phantom students? He hadn't even heard or seen a single person since his mum had dropped him off here. What if they were all ghosts?

The raven haired boy clutched his legs tighter, clamping his eyes shut. No, I don't like g-ghosts... no... no please, don't be ghosts.

Suddenly, Phil emitted a loud shriek as he felt something bump into him and tumble over his legs, landing on the cold tile on the left side of the boy. Oh God... was it really a ghost?

He was trembling now, but before he could scream again, a rather quiet voice began to speak, "Um, excuse me, but what are you doing on the floor?"

Phil's breath hitched in his throat. Was that a ghost talking? Or maybe... had an actual human being bumped into him?

Slowly, Phil pried open his icy blue eyes, cautiously sneaking a glance at the form slightly draped over his knees, though mostly resting on the floor. There, his eyes met the form of a boy with the softest, chocolatey brown eyes and a similarly colored mop of hair that fell down his face, probably caused by his tumble. There was something strange about the boys eyes though. Despite them being a very beautiful brown color, they seemed rather vacant. It didn't look like the owner of the eyes was actually looking at Phil, but rather past him.

Remembering his manners, Phil let go of his legs and stood up slowly, letting the fallen boy's lower body gently drop to the floor, "Sorry. I got lost."

"Oh. I can understand that. It's a pretty big school. I still get lost every now and then." The boy on the floor pressed his hands gingerly against the cold tiles and got up on his knees. Phil held a hand out towards his face, hoping to help the boy up, but he didn't even acknowledge the gesture. Instead, the boy stood up fully on his own, wobbling a little. He was just a tad shorter than Phil.

"Oh no..." The stranger squeaked, slowly shuffling in the area immediately around him, his eyes remaining unfocused. He didn't turn his head to look anywhere at all, not even at Phil.

Beginning to form an idea in his head, Phil asked, "What is it?"

"My... um... my walking stick." The brown-haired boy muttered, so quietly Phil almost hadn't heard him.

Phil looked around and spotted a white stick with a wrist strap on the end of it lying not to far away from where the boy had tumbled over him. He walked over to it, picked it up, and held it out for the stranger to take. But he didn't.

"Hmmmm..." Phil breathed, slowly retracting the hand holding out the stick to the boy.

"What?" The other boy asked, turning in the direction of Phil but not quite exactly.

"Are you blind?" Phil asked bluntly, though not on purpose. He was genuinely curious. He had never met a blind person before.

The other boy turned a bit red and turned his head towards the floor, "Y-yeah... I need my walking stick so I won't trip again..."

"Oh" Phil said simply, yet a little bit excitedly. He liked this blind kid.

"I have it, actually," Phil said, causing a smile to form on the blind kid's face.

The boy held out his hand, a little bit to the left of Phil, "Can you hand it to me?"  
"Of course!" Phil beamed at him, but realized the boy couldn't actually see his friendly smile, so he just resorted to fastening the wrist band of the walking stick around the brown-haired boy's wrist and placing the stick firmly in his hand. The boy smiled again.

"Thank you very much, er..."

"Phil."

"Thank you, Phil! I'm Dan." The no longer nameless boy held out his hand, and Phil shook it lightly, "I haven't seen you around... well, I haven't exactly seen anyone, but what I mean is I haven't met you, I guess. Are you new here?"

Phil nodded before remembering that Dan was blind, "Yeah, I just moved to this city."

"Moving's a pain, isn't it? I got here just a couple of months ago myself."

"Really?" Phil asked, his eyes wide.

"Yes, really. It doesn't seem very nice here at first, but it's all right." Dan said, shrugging a bit.

It was quiet a moment longer, the rain quite audibly pounding against the window now, when Phil asked, "So, where are the classrooms? I'm supposed to be at Mrs. Lange's room..."

Dan frowned a little, "I actually don't really know now... I'm a little confused after bumping into you. The good news is, though, that I'm also in Mrs. Lange's class!"

Phil smiled at Dan again. He had a feeling he would actually have fun at school with Dan, the blind kid. He often wondered what it would be like to be blind. Probably not much fun but you get all these special things when you're blind, like the stick Dan has to walk with, and sometimes a guide dog. Imagine having a guide dog! A dog that tells you where to go! That was the absolute, most adorable and awesome thing Phil could ever think of.

"...are you gonna say something?" Dan asked as the silence dragged on awkwardly between them, Phil's mind still swirling with the thoughts of heroic guide dogs taking humans out for walks.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking..." Phil muttered, and before Dan had time to ask what about, Phil continued, "So, do you know how to get to the classroom, then?"

After some time aimlessly wandering the corridors of the labrynth like school, Dan occasionally muttering "I think it's this way..." after touching the wall or smacking his walking stick into something accidentally, Mrs. Lange found the two boys hopelessly lost and guided them back to her room, gently scolding Dan for trying to use the restroom without someone going with him to make sure he got there and back okay.

When they reached the classroom, they boys were greeted by the curious stares of their peers, particularly Phil, as he was the new kid, but there were still some people who watched as Dan carefully made his way to one of the empty desks at the back of the room with a nick in it, probably to help Dan find where his seat was, Phil thought.

Mrs. Lange brought Phil to the front of the room and had him wave to the class while she introduced him, "Meet your new classmate, Phillip Lester! He and his family just moved here, so be sure to treat him kindly."

A few people waved back at Phil, including Dan, but he waved in the wrong direction. Phil didn't care though, and soon took a seat next to the blind boy.

"Hey," He whispered to Dan to let him know he was sitting by him.

Dan followed the sound of Phil's voice, turning his head in the general direction of Phil and smiled, "Oh, you sit next to me! Nobody's sat in the seats by me all year."

"Well, now someone has." I say kindly, taking out a pencil and some paper. Dan does the same, though Phil didn't know how he was going to write since he was blind.

Whatever. At least Phil made a friend.

When school had ended, Dan and Phil were sat next to each other on a bench, waiting for their parents to pull up and take them home. They had talked together all of recess and lunch and had gotten to know each other rather well. Dan couldn't play with the other kids because he could hurt himself running by tripping over something he couldn't see or something like that, so he just sat inside most days. Phil talked about how he loved video games, and Dan did too, but he played different versions of them for blind people. They both liked to read, and Dan showed Phil what braille books were like and demonstrated how he could read them. Phil thought it was the coolest thing ever to be able to read with your fingers. He had praised Dan for it, but Dan had gotten a sad look on his face. Finding himself wondering about this incident again, Phil decided to ask Dan about it.

"Hey Dan?" He started, beginning to question if he was being too nosy.

"Yeah, Phil?" Dan asked, turning in the general direction of Phil again.

"Well, earlier when I told you that being able to read braille was cool... I dunno, you just looked kind of...sad..." Phil said awkwardly, watching as Dan's care-free expression hardened a bit, "I was wondering... does being blind make you... sad?"

Dan turned away from Phil, looking rather upset, so Phil added quickly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask about things you don't want to talk about. I'll stop if you don't want to-"

"It does."

"Huh?"

"It does. Being blind does make me sad." Dan sighed, his fingers fidgeting with the wrist strap of his walking stick.

Phil blinked. He hadn't expected Dan to sound so... calm about it.

"But... why?" Phil asked, puzzled. It seemed to him that blind people could still do a lot of things that people who could see could do. Not all, but a lot. Quite frankly, Phil would like to be able to do some of the things that Dan could do.

"It's just... I don't know what anything looks like. Not you, not my house or my parents, and not even myself," Dan shifts his head towards his hands, appearing as if he was observing his finger's movements on the stick strap, "and don't even get me started on colors."

"Colors?" Phil asked curiously.

Dan let out another sigh and Phil was about to apologize again when Dan continued, "It's fine, really. It's just, I can't see them, obviously. But it's more than that, too. People always talk about color, but I can't even understand what color is. I have no idea what 'color' even means."

Phil sat there next to his new friend in complete shock. He hadn't really understood until now exactly what it meant to be blind. Sure blind people like Dan could read braille, have guide dogs and play special video games, but they still couldn't see. Everything was black to them. They had never known and would never know anything else. Phil started to feel really guilty about asking the questions he had.

"... So, if I said that my hoodie was red, you wouldn't even know what 'red' was supposed to mean?" Phil asked, gripping the fabric of his hoodie absent-mindedly.

"Nope, no idea..." Dan hung his head, but it slowly rose again, "... maybe, you could tell me?"

"What?"

"Describe red, please."

It was such a simple phrase, but there was so much complexity behind it that it completely dumbfounded Phil. What was he supposed to say? How does one describe color?

"Uhm... I dunno if it's that simple, Dan..." Phil squirmed.

"Why?" Dan asked, intrigued.

Phil shifted on the bench, still no parents in sight. He had to think of a way for Dan to know what color was. This was gonna be tough.

"Uh, well, you see, it's... uh" Phil suddenly remembered a comparison his mother had once talked to him about and decided to use that, "it's not simple because describing color is like trying to describe the taste of chocolate to someone who has never had it before."

Dan perked up a little, "But that's easy! Chocolate is sweet, and sometimes nice and creamy, but there's... there's something else, like..."

Phil watched him, slightly triumphantly as Dan struggled to accurately describe the delicious substance. Eventually, Dan fell silent.

"Okay, okay, so maybe it isn't that easy..."

"Exactly."

"So... that's it then? I'll never get to know what color is?"

The saddness in Dan's voice caught Phil by surprise. He noticed Dan clenching his fists. His eyebrows drawn tightly together. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Oh no, what had he done to poor Dan...

"Hey, hey, it's all right," Phil tried to comfort his friend by putting an arm gently around his shoulders, slowly enough so that he wouldn't startle him, "I said it was difficult to try and describe color, but not impossible. I'll probably be rubbish at it, but I can try, can't I?"

Dan sniffed, and clasped his hands together, rubbing them gently, "Okay... try. Try just for my sake...?"

It sounded more like a question than a command, and Phil found it hard to resist complying to the blind boy's wish. He settled himself more comfortably next to Dan, the overhang above their heads dripping furiously with rain water onto the lawn in front of them a ways off. How to describe color...

"Well... color is a quality of an object that changes it so that it is very... uh... visible. It just makes the object pop. The things you feel look... well, I mean, if you were to run your hand across a page, it would be flat and boring, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's what I think the world would be like without color. Flat and boring. But with color, life becomes more... emotional? Special? Different? Exciting... Like when you run your hand across a page and come across a word in braille. Something exciting like 'wow' or 'amazing'! I can't exaclty say what color is, but I can say that it can make people stare at it for a very long time, because people want to stare at it. Most of the time. Some colors make people cringe."

"What about red? Does red make people cringe?" Dan asked, unfurling his hands and feeling around for the fabric of my hoodie. Finding it, he took it in both hands and rubbed his fingers against it softly. Phil smiled as he watched him a moment longer than necessary, and slowly started to process how exactly to describe the color red.

"Red is... red..." Phil stuttered, thinking about what to say first, "um... red is, heat, I guess. Things that are warm make people think of red. Like when you blush, your cheeks turn red."

"Faces can turn colors?" Dan asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah, in fact everything has a color, but let's keep it simple for now with just red," Phil said quickly, his head already spinning at the thought of trying to describe every single aspect of color to Dan, "Other things that aren't warm can also be red, though. Like, the outside bit of apples are red. Lobsters are red. Your skin turns red when you get a sunburn, though I guess your skin gets warm when that happens, huh? Oh, also the sunset is red, sometimes. Even blood is red."

"A lot of strange things are red..." Dan remarked, his voice muffled as he had pressed his face against the sleeve of Phil's red hoodie, "I still don't quite know what makes red red though... or what a sunset even is like..."

"Yeah..." Phil stayed quiet a moment before an idea came to mind, "What if I told you about some feelings people associate with red? Maybe that would help you understand a bit."

Dan raised his head and smiled, "Sounds good to me."

"Okay... red emotions... red emotions... ah," Phil began, "anger is red. You know that fiery, burning feeling in the pit of your stomach you get sometimes? That's red. But, it's not just anger that's red. Love is red. I've never really felt the icky kind of love, but hearts are always drawn with red in them. Love for your dad and mum is red. Or if you really love to do something, that's red. I think emotions that are burn-y and make you feel warm are what red is."

"So like, passion?"

"Passion?"

"That's what it's called when you love something or someone so intensely that your tummy burns." Dan explained.

"Oh. Then yes, red is passion."

Dan nodded slowly, taking in everything I used to try and describe the color red.

"Okay... So... color makes people not want to look away. It's something different besides just seeing something. And color- er, just red... can make you feel burning. Most red things are warm. Burning and warmth. I think I like the sound of red."

Feeling a bit proud that he made Dan think of red as something to be liked, Phil congratulated himself on doing something so difficult as describing a color. Sure, Dan probably didn't quite grasp what color was exactly, but he understood what was meant to be felt when something was described as 'red'. He could name a few red objects. That's better than knowing nothing at all.

A silver car pulled up to the school's parking lot as close as possible to the two boys huddled under the overhang in the rain. An unfamiliar woman who Phil assumed to be Dan's mom started to get out and opened an umbrella.

"I think that's your mom, Dan." Phil said as the woman approached the two boys, a smile on her face at he sight of Dan sitting with his new friend.

"Look at you, kiddo! You made a friend!" The lady said to Dan, carefully ruffling Dan's hair.

"Moooooooom-" Dan said, his cheeks flushing with a bit of red and heat. He stopped when he realized this and cupped his cheeks in his hands, a smile on his face.

"Phil, my cheeks are red, aren't they?" Dan asked, looking near his friend but not quite at him.

Phil smiled, "Yeah, they are."

Dan's mom smiled at Phil, enjoying the fact that Dan recognized color while still being blind, "And who might you be?"

"I'm Phil. I just moved here." Phil introduced himself, shaking Dan's mom's hand.

"He's the best, mom!" Dan beamed as his mom let go of Phil and took Dan by the hand instead, "He told me what red is! And he helped me find my walking stick, and he thinks I'm really cool and we are best friends now!"

Phil smiled warmly at Dan's enthusiastic tone of voice he was using to describe him and couldn't help but feel really proud of himself for being such a good friend to immediately warrant Dan's good will.

Dan's mom beamed at Phil, "Thank you, Phil, for being so nice to Dan. Would you like to come over sometime? Perhaps your parents could meet us too."

"I would love to!" Phil answered, but he was looking at Dan, who was still grinning this ridiculously large grin.

And that began Dan and Phil's strong friendship- a discussion in the rain on Phil's first day at his new school, all about the color red.


	2. Part 2 What's Orange Like?

A/N: Wow, thank you guys so much for all of the faves, follows and positive reviews! I was really touched by the feedback and now I'm really motivated to continue this fic, so thank you all so so much! :D

Colors

Part 2: What's Orange Like?

The hot sun bore down upon Phil as he flopped down on his back in the grass next to his best friend, Dan. It was so, SO hot. Phil was wearing a T-shirt and shorts and he still felt like he was about to melt like an ice lolly.

After squirming in the uncomfortable heat next to Dan for some time, Phil finally suggested, "Hey Dan, maybe we should sit in the shade instead?"

"It's still going to be hot... but it would be better than sitting in this," the boy gestured towards the sky, more specifically in his mind, the sunlight, "Find some for us?"

"No problem. There's a tree a little ways farther up the hill." Phil said cheerfully as he raised himself off the soft grass and helped Dan find his hand. Phil helped Dan up, a gesture that earned a grateful glance from Dan's mom in the midst of her conversation with Phil's mom. The two had brought Dan and Phil to a grassy park for a nice picnic in celebration of Dan's tenth birthday, not realizing how terribly intolerable the heat was going to be. Still, Phil was glad to be with Dan on his birthday. Over the past three years, Phil and Dan had grown considerably closer to each other. They did everything together, and their parents had become good friends as well.

It was a remarkable and unique friendship, cherished by both the small, young boys.

Phil kept Dan's hand held in his own as he carefully led Dan towards the shady spot he had spotted earlier, maneuvering them between rocks and twigs that Dan could potentially trip over. Sensing the cooler air as he and Phil passed underneath the shade of a tree, Dan smiled and let out a sigh.

"Better?" Phil asked, sitting down on the grass.

Dan soon joined him on the ground, "Better."

They talked and talked and talked. When one conversation began to falter, the other would immediately be able to start a new one. It was easy for them to talk to each other. It was one of the few things that the two could do without taking special precautions for Dan. Dan had told Phil he liked just talking with him, because it made him feel like a normal boy who wasn't blind, and that, in turn, made Phil feel rather pleased with himself.

Soon enough, though, the both of them fell into a comfortable silence, the sun in the process of setting. It was beautiful, Phil thought, the way the golds and the oranges and the reds all blended together perfectly. He sighed and laid back on the grass, taking it all in. Orange was the most prominent color in this particular sunset, and it was of an absolutely stunning shade.

Hearing Phil's movement on the grass next to him, Dan laid down as well, staring at without actually seeing the sky, and asked, "What's the sighing for?"

"Oh, erm..." Phil didn't want to comment on the sunset, as he knew Dan wouldn't be able to see it, and that would make him upset, but he knew Dan wouldn't let him out of it. He was rather persistent when Phil refused to tell him something that he wanted to know.

Dan poked him in the arm, "Phiiiiiiiil-"

"It's just... the sunset is really pretty today..." Phil answered awkwardly, ready to shrug off his comment and move on to something else, but apparently, Dan had other ideas.

"Really?" Dan asked, tilting his head in the grass a little, as if to get a better look at the sky he couldn't see, "What's a sunset like?"

Phil gazed at the sky, interlocking his fingers and resting his hands behind his head, thinking about how to describe something so beautiful to his friend, "It's... breathtaking. Some days it's more spectacular than others. It's never the same, constantly changing. It turns the sky different colors, and a lot of people find it really romantic."

"Ew, gross," Dan laughed, Phil joining him, "What color is the sunset-sky today?"

"Orange." Phil answered simply, though he knew what was coming next. The whole situation reminded him of when he and Dan had first met, Dan holding Phil's hoodie close to his face as they huddled together in the rain, asking Phil to describe the color red.

Phil looked over at Dan, the latter's expression soft and thoughtful as he asked quietly, "What's orange like?"

Phil smiled at the question, reminiscing a bit more and shifting his hands down to his sides again before thinking about how to describe orange, "Hmmm... well, it's warm, like red... but not quite as warm. Not very many people would say that orange is their favorite color, but it's so pretty in sunsets."

"Why would people not like it if it's pretty in sunsets?" Dan asked, stretching his hands towards the sky.

"There are other things that are orange that aren't as pretty, I guess." Phil answered, glancing over at Dan's hands that dropped suddenly, Dan's left arm accidentally plopping down on top of Phil's arm. Dan jumped at the unexpected contact, causing Phil to laugh at his friend's surprise. Dan just shook his head, smiling.

"What kinds of other things are orange?" He asked, resting his right hand on his stomach, tapping it to some unheard rhythm.

"Carrots, for one. Some people's hair can be orange, but most people call that ginger. The sunset. Fire can be orange, but a lot of kids draw it as red," Phil snickered a bit as he thought of the next object he would name, "oranges are orange."

"Wow, really?" Dan asked, laughing slightly, "What else?"

"Ummmmm oh, some butterflies are! And also some flowers too. In fact, I think I saw some orange flowers earlier..." Phil stood up slowly, scanning the area for flowers.

Dan sat up, staring ahead, as he heard Phil running off from their comfortable spot under the shade of the tree out towards what he assumed to be the direction of the flowers. Soon returning at full speed, Phil slowed himself Dan, panting slightly as he held a handful of orange wild flowers carefully in his right fist. He sat himself down next to Dan again, and Dan smiled.

"Did you just go and pick some?"  
"Yeah, why not?" Phil replied, taking Dan's left hand with his own and placing a few of the flowers in it. Maybe flowers weren't very boy-like but they were pretty and orange and Phil thought that holding them would help Dan visualize the color orange.

The birthday boy ran his fingers gently across the surface of one of the flowers, gingerly pinching some of the petals between his thumb and index finger, constructing a mental image of it in his head.

He grinned, "They're so soft. Is orange soft?"  
"Depends on the orange. But in this case, yeah."

"Tell me more about orange."  
"Well, like I said, it's warm, but not as warm as red. It's not like fiery passion, but more like the soft warmth you feel when you drink hot chocolate on a cold day. I guess, when people think of orange, they think of energy... that or a subtle kind of happiness. That kind that warms you up a little, but doesn't take you over. Like when your mum brings you Maltesers back from the shops or something. Just little things that warm you up and make you feel good." Phil attempted to explain.

When Phil finished, Dan took one of the flowers and reached over to Phil's face, touching his cheek by mistake.

They both laughed, and Phil asked, "Dan, what are you doing?"

"I want to put this flower somewhere on you." He explained, still laughing as his hand found Phil's jaw, then ran up it a bit to his ear.

"Why?" Phil asked, grinning as Dan carefully placed the flower in the nick between Phil's ear and his head, making sure it stayed there before drawing his hand away and taking another flower to put on his own ear.

"Because you said that orange gives people that warmth that makes them feel good, and I want you to feel good." Dan said, placing the flower on his ear, double checking to make sure it stayed there, then leaning back on his hands.

Phil smiled at his wonderful blind friend, thinking that he already did feel good, but said, "Dan, this is your birthday. I'm supposed to make you feel good."

Dan just shrugged, still smiling, "I already do."

Suddenly, Phil jumped up again, "Which reminds me, I still need to give you my gift!"

Dan laughed as Phil raced off to get Dan his gift, making sure that the flower Dan put on his ear stayed there.

He reached his mum, out of breath yet again, and asked, "Mum... need... Dan's... gift..."

"Oh yes, that's right! You still have to give it to him!" Phil's mom exclaimed, smiling, temporarily pausing her conversation with Dan's mom to search for Dan's gift in their picnic bag.

"Are the two of you having fun up there?" Mrs. Howell gestured with her head up towards Dan, who was fiddling with the flowers Phil had brought him earlier.

Phil nodded, "Mmm hmm. I'm telling him about orange."

"Oh, perfect!" Mrs. Lester said, handing Phil the red wrapped box for Dan.

"Yep! Thanks mum!" Phil said, taking the box and sprinting back up the hill to his friend.

He settled down next to Dan again and was about to hand the box to Dan when he noticed that Dan was holding something already, "Dan? What's that?"

"Oh, it's a flower crown! I made it myself." Dan said, holding up his creation for Phil to see. Sure enough, it was a crown of the orange wildflowers, all woven together.

Awestruck at his friend's talent, Phil stared at the crown, jaw slightly lowered, "How did you learn how to do that?"  
"I get bored sometimes, and I have a lot of pipe cleaners at my house for some reason. I just sort of ended up making a crown out of them one day and I wanted to see if I could make one out of these flowers, and tada! Let me put it on you." Dan said, stretching out a hand to find Phil's head.

Laughing again, Phil guided Dan's hand towards his dark hair where Dan then deposited the crown. Phil adjusted it a bit so it wasn't crooked and smiled.

"You're the King of Orange now, Phil." Dan announced, clearly pleased with his handiwork even though he couldn't see Phil wearing the crown.

Phil laughed, even more, "What is the King of Orange supposed to do? Command things to become orange?"

"Yes, exactly!" Dan smiled, just nearly facing Phil completely.

"Of course," Phil said, and then, remembering about his present, added, "And I've got something to give to you, now."

He slowly dropped the box into Dan's lap, and added, "It's wrapped in red paper."

"Really?" Dan asked, picking up the parcel and running a hand along its surface, imagining what he thought color, more specifically the color red, would look like.

"Yup! Go on, open it." Phil prompted, watching excitedly as Dan carefully ripped off the paper and traced his hands along the edges of the box the gift was encased in. He found the top of the box and pulled it off, revealing the gift. Dan felt inside the box and, finding the object inside, lifted it out of the box, running his fingers across it to determine what it was.

A smile started to creep across his face, "It's soft. And in the shape of... is this... a dragon of some sort?"

"Yes, sort of. It's a Pokemon, actually. A stuffed Charmander."

Dan's blank eyes lit up as he hugged the Charmander to his chest, "I love it! Now we can play Pokemon! Me with my Charmander, and you with your Gengar!"

"Yup!" Phil smiled, watching as Dan pretended that the Charmander was spitting fire into the hot June air, the brilliant orange sunset fading to pinks and purples. Dan and Phil's moms called to the boys, telling them that they were leaving the park now.

Phil helped Dan up and guided him down the hillside to their moms, Mrs. Howell handing Dan his walking stick. As the merry party left the park behind, Dan holding his new Charmander close to his chest with one hand while scanning the ground around him with his walking stick with the other, Phil suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Dan? Guess what?"

"Yeah Phil?"

"Charmander is orange."


	3. Part 3 Tell Me About Yellow

AN: So appreciative of all the reviews, faves and follows! Nice to know I actually have some talent at writing hahaha. This one is a bit shorter than the other ones. They should start lengthening out a bit more though.

Colors

Part 3: Tell Me About Yellow

"PHIL! Phil, Phil, Phil, PHIIIIILLLL!" Dan shouted, his unfocused eyes sparkling as he grinned his award winning dimply grin.

Phil had just gotten out of the only class he didn't share with Dan, his blind twelve-year old friend waiting for him outside the door with his walking stick.

Phil's face lit up as he laid his eyes on the smiling Dan and walked over to him. His smiles always made his day better. Some people were staring because of Dan's outburst but Phil didn't care and Dan couldn't see them anyway.

"What's up, Dan? You seem in a particularly good mood today." Phil said to his friend, announcing his arrival with his voice as he carefully took Dan's arm in his own to guide him to their favorite spot to eat lunch.

"I am! There are just so many things to be happy about today!" Dan said mysteriously, still beaming.

Phil laughed slightly, pleasantly confused, "Like what?"

As they exited the school building and made their way across the glistening green grass to an empty lunch table, Dan answered, "Well, when I woke up this morning, I had pancakes, which is always the best! And then when I got to school, we had that free class this morning so we just got to have fun and do whatever we wanted, and that was fun."

Phil reminisced on the class he had spent with Dan in the morning talking about dumb stuff, exchanging random jokes and just having fun in general, "Yeah, that was pretty great."

"But it gets even better!" Dan exclaimed felt around for the bench in front of the lunch table and sat down, "You know that test that I was so scared for that I almost had a break down so you helped me study for it? I ACED it!"

"What?! Dan that's amazing!" Phil congratulated his friend, taking a seat next to Dan, "That test was so hard! I didn't even ace it!"

"How can you not ace it when you helped me?" Dan laughed as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"I dunno! Had a blank, I guess." Phil said defensively, yet a tone of amusement lingering his voice.

"...but that's not all, Phil." Dan said, this time more quietly than his earlier outbursts.

Phil looked up from his lunch, studying Dan's face curiously. His chocolatey eyes were close to meeting Phil's blue ones, and they were filled to the brim with wonder... no, that wasn't quite right...

Hope. They were filled with hope.

"...What is it?"

Dan put down his food and just nearly met Phil's gaze, "My mum was doing some research on blindness. She told me she found out about this... procedure that could help me see again. I could see you, Phil. I could see colors."

Phil's mouth opened slightly as he stared at the eyes of his friend that would never look directly at him. Dan could... finally be able to see?

"R-really?" Was all Phil was able to say in response to the news.

Dan just barely nodded, "Yeah. The only bad thing is that it costs a lot of money. But my mom and dad said they would save for it! They're going to put away a little money whenever they get their pay check so that some day I'll be able to see like everybody else."

"Dan, that's... that's wonderful!"

Dan's wide grin returned, the sparkle in his eyes more intense than ever, "I know right? I don't care how long it will take. If I could only see for the last couple of minutes of my life, I'd be happy."

Phil was slightly taken aback by the notion of Dan still being blind until he was on the verge of death. Yeah, he wanted Dan to be able to see, but he didn't want him to have to wait so long.

Then, he got a brilliant idea, smiling to himself at the thought. He would help Dan's parents pay for the surgery! Surely if he pitched in they could put an end to Dan's blindness even sooner, right? He could come up with a way to raise money for Dan. Maybe he could sell some of his old things or start a business selling homemade... somethings.

Either way, Phil's mind was made up; he would save up money to pay for Dan's procedure too. But, he would keep it a secret so he could surprise the Dan later on. He would be so excited!

"Well, I don't think it will take _that_ long, Dan." Phil remarked, smiling to himself as he opened a bag of crisps and started munching on them.

Dan shrugged as he felt around for and picked up his sandwich again, "Yeah, probably not. Which is good news for me."

They ate in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. Phil watched the other kids chatting together, some heading off to the fields and basketball courts to play football and shoot hoops. He felt the pang of sadness that he got every time Phil thought about how Dan couldn't participate in any of those activities. However, the sadness soon faded as he recalled when Mrs. Howell had bought Dan a football with a rattle inside it so that Dan could hear where it was and try to play.

Dan was so excited that he had invited Phil over straight away and they played football for a whole hour straight. By the end of that hour, Dan had gotten used to listening to the ball to find its location. He had actually gotten pretty good football, though he would get turned around and lose track of where the goals were from time to time. Still, he had been so happy to finally be able to do something that he normally couldn't do with his handicap.

Phil's mind was still on the rattling football and their exhaustion after playing with it for an hour straight when Dan suddenly said, "Hey Phil?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there a color for happiness?"

Phil blinked, still trying to focus on the conversation at hand and not his memories, "Oh, uh, you mean like a color people associate with happiness?"

Dan nodded, finishing up his lunch and propping his elbows up on the table, resting his head in his hands, staring off in the direction of noisy students, a soft smile still on his face. Phil followed Dan's unfocused gaze, watching the other students go about their usual lives, a lot of them talking and laughing. Happiness...

"Yellow."

"Yellow? Tell me about yellow."

"People usually associate yellow with happiness. Smiley faces are traditionally colored yellow and stuff. And although it actually isn't, people draw the sun as yellow too. There are a lot of yellow flowers, birds, animals in general. It's a rather bright color, particularly eye catching. When people see yellow, it reminds them of the brightness and happiness of life, of sunlight." Phil fell into the usual procedure for explaining color to Dan easily.

"Yellow sounds beautiful. I quite like the sound of it." Dan said as he stretched his arms out, the sunlight warming his back. He smiled at it's touch. Yellow...

"Most people don't like it, actually." Phil remarked simply.

Dan turned to Phil, almost, "What? Why?"

Phil shrugged even though Dan couldn't see him, "They find it ugly I guess."

Dan made a face, "That's kind of sad that they don't like the color that symbolizes happiness. I bet I would like yellow."

Phil laughed, "I dunno Dan."

"I would! Just wait and see till I get my operation. I'll like it. I will." Dan declared firmly, crossing his arms, "And red, and orange, and every other color on this planet."

"You'll probably appreciate them more than anyone on this planet." Phil said, the bell for class ringing not long after he finished his sentence.

Dan sighed as Phil stood up and waited for him to get up too, but he didn't.

"Where'd all that energy from earlier go?" Phil asked, slightly worried about his friend.

"I dunno. You're gonna have to carry me to all my classes now." Dan smirked, feigning laziness.

Phil rolled his eyes, "Get up you dummy."

"Rude," Dan retorted, grabbing his bag and walking stick after fumbling around for them for a moment, "at least help me up from this bench."

"Fine." Phil said, a slight laugh in his voice. He found Dan's hand and held it as Dan stood up and carefully stepped over the bench. Despite his caution, he tripped and fell into Phil's chest, Phil quickly stopping himself from falling backwards with all the strength he had and holding on tightly to Dan so that he wouldn't fall to the ground. For some reason, Phil felt rather awkward in this position, even though he'd hugged Dan before and it was kind of similar to this scenario. He shrugged it off as the normal guy attitude towards other guys for his age in that they didn't get all close to each other like girls did. Or something.

"S-sorry Phil." Dan stuttered a bit, regaining his balance and pulling away from Phil's chest. Phil had already hit his growth spurt, but Dan hadn't so he was rather short compared to Phil. Phil just loved to tease him about it.

"No problem. It happens." Phil said nonchalantly, taking Dan's arm again and walking towards the doors to the school. Some people were staring, but that was ok. Some people always stared, but they never really bothered Phil, and obviously not Dan. Unless Phil told Dan about them, of course, but he never did. He didn't want Dan to feel self conscious about his disability.

"Hey Phil?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" Phil asked as he used his free hand to open the door to their next classroom.

"For not letting me fall. For being my friend. For yellow." Dan listed the things off, pausing slightly between each one.

Phil felt a slight warmth creep up inside him, and he smiled, "You're welcome, Dan. It's always a pleasure."


	4. Part 4 Hmmmm, Green?

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! Camp NaNoWriMo is keeping me very very busy and I was away at a camp for half a week with NO WIFI! The horror! Anyway, thank you all so much for the reviews! Special thanks to logickles for telling me that the 'walking stick' that blind people use is actually a 'white cane'! I honestly had no idea what it was called so I improvised. But now I know the proper term so thank you! And to the guest that asked whether I am writing this story in order of the rainbow, yes in fact, I am! But there will be a few extra colors than just the six in the rainbow as well, but that will be more towards the end of this fic. Thanks again for all the faves, follows and positive reviews, guys!

Colors

Part 4: Hmmm, Green?

Phil knocked lightly on the door to the Howell residence and then took a step back, the cloudy day giving the whole scenario a rather gloomy atmosphere, despite the brightly colored card Phil held in both hands. He sighed as he stared at it, waiting for someone to answer the door. School wasn't all that fun without Dan. In fact, it was so boring that Phil almost pretended to be sick that morning, but knowing his mom and dad, there was no way that he'd get away with it. Plus, he didn't want to worry Dan.

Finally, the door opened, Mr. Howell appearing in the doorway, a smile on his face, "Oh, hello there, Phil. Are you here to see Dan?"

Phil nodded, "Yeah, if that's okay."

"Of course! Just try not to get to close to him, or stay too long. He might be contagious and I wouldn't want you getting sick too. Plus his mom is a little under the weather as well. Double the risk of you catching something."

Phil nodded again, smiling, "Thanks Mr. Howell. I'll try not to stay too long."

Dan's dad let Phil into the house, Phil making his way past the lounge and to the stairs, ascending them to the upstairs hallway and then making a sharp left, knocking softly on Dan's bedroom door.

"Come in..." A rather disheveled sounding voice called from inside the room.

He sounded awful...

Phil opened the door to reveal a sick Dan, curled up in his covers, his brown hair all curly and wild, his unfocused eyes rimmed with red, the end of his nose a similar shade. A blue box of tissues was sat close by on his black duvet, a few crumpled white lumps scattered around on the surface of the bed.

Despite the pitiful state Dan was in, Phil still smiled upon seeing him. He looked adorable...

...uhhhhh...

"Hey Dan." Phil said, walking across the room to sit at the foot of Dan's bed, the card still clutched in his hands. Dan lit up a bit at the sound of Phil's voice, and he shifted a little in bed so that he was facing in the direction of the pressure of Phil's weight on his bed.

"Hi there, Phil." Dan's scratchy voice replied, a violent coughing fit erupting from his mouth immediately after he said those words.

Phil looked at him nervously as Dan turned his head away from Phil, covering his mouth with the crook of his arm. After he finished he turned back to Phil, appearing to look past him like all of the times he 'looked' at him.

"Sorry about that. I've been coughing like that all day, and my nose is all runny and I'm just gross today." Dan informed his fourteen year-old friend, fumbling around for a tissue and then blowing his nose with it.

Phil smiled a bit, "Sounds like you're having a good day."

Dan groaned, "Oh yeah, it's been a party."

Phil laughed at that, "Yeah, I can tell. You decorated with tissues and everything."

This made Dan sigh, "Are they really everywhere?"  
"Yup."

"Damn... I tried to get them all in the trash, but I guess I miss sometimes still."

"Yeah, unfortunately. You've got a bit of a snot-fest going on all over your duvet."

Dan wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Gross."

Phil smiled, "Well, I brought you something to cheer you up."

Dan laughed a bit before coughing some more, "Can it clean up all these snot rags?'

Phil laughed too, "No, but that would be really awesome."

Carefully, Phil took Dan's wrist, avoiding his hands which had no doubt been touching his infectious snot all day, and placed the card he had been holding all day in Dan's right hand. Phil withdrew his hands, allowing Dan to trace the edges of the card with skill, avoiding cutting himself on the paper's edges. He smiled as he began to run his fingers along the front of the card, finding a few words written out carefully in braille.

"Did you make this?" He asked, still grinning, his chocolate brown eyes far away but appearing to look right at the card in his hands.

Phil rested his arm on his knee, then his head in his hand, smiling, "Yeah. It took me a bit but I think I got everything right."

Dan nodded slightly in response, his dimply smile warming up Phil's chest as he opened the card and began running his fingers along the inside of the card, reading the sweet get well note from Phil. After he finished, he set the card aside and wordlessly reached out to Phil, Phil helping Dan find him and they hugged each other.

"Thanks Phil. Also, your braille wasn't half bad." Dan said, sniffing from his cold.

Phil squeezed Dan a bit, "Okay good! I was a bit worried. I'm glad you liked it though. I thought you'd appreciate it since you're feeling all ill and stuff."

Dan let go of Phil, lying back down in his bed, "Yeah, it kind of sucks, but my mum is doing worse."

Phil looked at Dan in surprise, "Really? Your dad mentioned she was sick, but she didn't sya how sick..."

"Yeah, she's been bed ridden for a week now. She's pretty ill. Been sleeping mostly, and my dad has to do all the cooking. He's thinking of taking her to hospital soon, cuz she's been complaining of a weird pain too." Dan sighed, a slight crackling sound to his breath.

"Oh..." Phil said quietly, looking down at the duvet, "I'm sorry. I didn't know she was doing so poorly."

"Yeah, I guess I haven't been thinking much about it lately. Should've said something, probably." Dan replied, feeling around for the tissue box again and wiping his nose with one of the white cloths.

"Mmm..." Phil mumbled. He wanted to lighten the mood a bit, but he found himself unable to think of anything to say. Come on, Phil. You have to go soon. You can't just leave on such a gloomy note.

Suddenly, an idea came to Phil.

"Hey Dan," Phil started, looking over at his sickly friend, smiling, "Wanna hear about green?"

"Hmmmm, green?" Dan questioned, crumpling the used tissue and feeling around for the small bin next to his bed, attempting to toss it in. He missed.

"Yeah. Green."

Dan smiled a bit, "Okay. That sounds good."

Phil grinned, gathering up all of the things he could use to describe the color green to Dan, "Okay, so first, green isn't like red, orange and yellow. It's a cool color."

"A cool color?"  
"Yup. It's part of a group of colors that are more associated with coolness than the warm color group, which has red, orange and yellow in it." Phil explained.

Dan nodded, "Okay. Makes sense. You talked a lot about burning and warmth with the other colors."

"Exactly! So, some objects that start with green. Most plants are green, lie grass and bushes and leaves and the stems of flowers."

Dan's brown eyes widened, "Wow, there must be a lot of green, then."

Phil laughed a bit, "Yeah, there is quite a bit of green in the world. Seaweed is also green, and as you can probably guess, a lot of vegetables are too. Frogs are green. There are a few birds that are green, probably some fish. Snot can be green."

Dan's facial expression turned to one of amused disgust, "Lovely. Is that why you chose to tell me about green?'

Phil laughed, "Maybe."

Dan shook his head, still smiling at his friend's choice of color, "Well? Keep going, you twat."

"Fine, fine," Phil said, attempting to stifle his laughter so he could continue on with his description of green, "Ummm, I think it's rather common for people to either associate green with nature or sickness. It can be such a beautiful, refreshing color that is everywhere, and a lot of people like it. An especially wonderful color green is when the sunshine shines through the leaves. It makes the green of the leaves a tad lighter, but there are still other shades of darker green, and it's all rimmed by a very light yellow color. It's spectacular, and feels very earthy and fresh. And cool I guess too.

"But then there's also the sickness part. People say 'your face looks green', and that means they think you look like you're getting sick or need to vomit, so green can also make people feel slimy and gross and sick. Most of the time, though, I think people think of the refreshing, nature-green rather than the nauseating sick-green when they picture the color green."

Dan just lay there in his bed, pondering what Phil just said, Phil hoping he had done at least a decent job of explaining green.

Finally, Dan says in a hilariously serious way, "I can't tell whether I should like green or puke because of it."

Phil burst into laughter, and Dan shook his head at the ceiling.

Phil suddenly became aware of the time, rememering to heed Mr. Howell's warning about staying too long or getting too close to Dan. Ah well, he already hugged him so there wasn't much use in refraining from hugging him again in farewell.

"I have to go now, Dan. I told your dad I wouldn't stay too long so that I won't catch anything." Phil said, scooting a bit closer to Dan on the bed. Dan sat up slowly, reaching a hand slightly to the left of his friend.

"Okay then, but you have to hug me again."

"I was actually planning on it." Phil replied, smiling as he first took Dan's hand and then wrapped his arms around Dan's warm torso, Dan's arms wrapping around Phil's back. Phil could feel Dan shaking a bit from his illness.

"Thanks for stopping by, Phil. I'll be back in school soon, I hope." Dan whispered, leaning his head against Phil's.

For some reason, Phil felt a slight flutter in his stomach. Maybe he was getting sick. That wouldn't be good.

"I hope you will be too. Mrs. Blandiche's class is torture without you." Phil answered back, not wanting to let go of Dan.

Dan laughed, softly this time to avoid coughing on Phil, "I bet it is. She's incredibly monotonous."

"Yeahhh..."

"Phil?"

"What?"

"You can let go now."

Phil felt his face flush a bit in embarrassment as he let go of his friend, "Oh, right, sorry."

Dan laughed again, but didn't manage to hold in his cough this time. Phil waited patiently for the coughing to subside.

Once it did, Dan just said, "Don't worry about it. Your hugs are the best cure for illness anyway."

Phil laughed, lightly pushing Dan back onto his pillow, "Stop being ridiculous. That was even more gross than your bloody tissues."

Dan descended into a fit of laughter and coughs again, but he didn't care all that much. He missed bantering with Phil.

"Well, I'll see you soon, then. Tell your mum that I hope she gets better soon." Phil said as he got up to leave.

Dan did a mock salute a few degrees to the left of Phil, "Will do."

Phil smiled and left, calling a "Goodybe" to Dan behind him as he shut Dan's bedroom door and stepped down the stairs.

But Dan's mom wouldn't be getting better any time soon.

A few days later when Dan returned to school, he brought some bad news with him. The worst kind of green-sickness had taken his mom in its hold.

Cancer.


	5. Part 5 Please, Keep Telling Me About Blu

AN: As always, thank you so much for your reviews, follows and faves! It's really sweet to see all you guys enjoying this story, and I hope ya'll continue to enjoy it **smiley face**!

… yeah I'm sorry for this chapter.

Colors

Part 5: Please, Keep Telling Me About Blue...

It was the middle of the night and Phil was running down the streets of London, the cold night air piercing his lungs as he sped past darkened shop windows and the sparse drivers traversing the roads. Tears were stinging his eyes, making it difficult to see, but he knew where he was going so well that he could have gotten to his destination blind folded.

The few pedestrians out besides the sixteen year old cast him worried glances, probably wondering why a teenager such as himself was out so late at night. Come to think of it, Phil's mom was probably wondering where he was right now, if she woke up when he flew out of the house, that is.

It didn't matter. She'd know soon enough, and probably be on her way to the same place Phil was going anyway. Then she'd find him there and she would be fine. Same with his dad. Well, they wouldn't be fine, but they'd know where Phil was.

Oh God.

Anyway...

Finally, Phil came upon a house towards the end of a street with a light on in the upper right corner of the house, supposedly the only house with someone awake in it at two in the morning. Phil's heart suddenly sank like it had when he had gotten the call from a sobbing Dan ten minutes earlier. Mr. Howell's car was missing in the drive way. Dan was home alone.

He was all alone at a time like this? Dear God...

As soon as Phil was close enough, he knocked furiously on the door, his hands shaking.

Shit shit shit.

Calm down, Phil. Dan needs you right now.

After some time of nothing happening, Phil tried the door handle, and surprisingly, the door opened. Phil shut the door behind him, accidentally slamming it and tossed himself up the stairs as fast as he could, turning sharply towards Dan's room.

He could hear sobbing on the other side of the door.

Phil opened the door slowly, taken aback by the sight before him. Dan was on the floor of his room next to his bed, in complete darkness, clutching the edge of his duvet that was hanging off the side of his mattress, staring at nothing but eyes overflowing with tears.

"P-P-Phil?" He stuttered between body racking sobs, turning his empty gaze near the doorway of his room.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here." Phil said, his voice breaking slightly but still managing to keep a comforting tone in it.

At the sound of his friend's voice, Dan broke out into more sobs, causing Phil to quickly make his way over to Dan and sit down next to him on the floor. Hearing his movements, Dan let go of his duvet and reached his arms out in front of him for Phil. Phil turned Dan towards him and hugged him tightly to his chest, Dan burying his face in Phil's shirt.

"W-why P-Phil? W-why d-d-did this ha-happen to h-her?" Dan cried, his voice muffled by his sobbing and the soft fabric of Phil's T-shirt.

Phil bit his lip hard, tears filling his eyes, "I don't know, Dan. I don't..."

Suddenly, Phil was in tears too, and it was just the two boys clutching each other in the dark, mourning the loss of someone very dear to them both.

Earlier that day, Mrs. Howell was rushed to the hospital, but there was nothing more that could be done for her.

Mr. Howell got the call at one-thirty in the morning. His wife was gone.

Dan had called Phil after his dad had woken him up and told him the news, the only thing he had actually been able to say through the tears being "Please come, P-Phil... I n-need you."

Phil had taken off straightaway, and now they were here, holding each other, crying their eyes out in the middle of the night when the rest of the city was asleep.

"I-I c-c-can't believe sh-she's g-g-gone..." Dan said, dazed, his voice more wobbly than the legs of someone attempting to skateboard for the first time.

The tears just wouldn't stop as Phil held Dan a little closer, "I c-can't either... "

Mrs. Howell had been like a second mom to Phil, so the loss hurt him very deeply, but he admitted to himself that he would never be able to comprehend the pain that Dan felt at the loss of his actual mother, unless of course, Phil's own mother unexpectedly passed away. Phil shuddered at the thought and shook it out of his head. He didn't want to think about that. Besides, he needed to be there for Dan. He had to be concentrated on him and only him, and make sure that Dan knew that there was someone he could go to when he just needed someone.

That's what... friends are for.

After what seemed like forever, the crying started to subside slowly, the boy's ragged breaths slowly becoming normal, the violent sobs turning into silent, trickling tears. Dan curled his arms around Phil's back and lifted his red, puffy face from Phil's chest to his shoulder, leaning his head against Phil's and closing his eyes, allowing the tears to continue to fall. Phil held Dan close by the waist, staring into the dark room behind Dan, feeling nothing but an all-consuming sadness.

He didn't want to speak, but the question had been at the back of his mind for some time, so he asked Dan, "Where's your dad?"

Dan sniffed, his voice gravelly and shaky still, "Hospital. He had to see her, he said..."

Phil felt Dan tense up, his body convulsing slightly in a silent sob, "H-he w-wanted me to g-go with h-him, b-b-but I c-couldn't... I d-didn't want to be in the s-same r-room as her... her...

"Corpse." Dan choked on the last word, the tears once again streaming down his face in full force.

Phil nodded gently so as to not disturb Dan's head resting on his own, unable to say anything.

Phil felt Dan clutch onto Phil's shirt in the back as he continued, "D-does that make m-me a b-bad s-son that I d-didn't g-go s-s-see her?"

Immediately, Phil held Dan by the shoulders and moved him away from himself, holding him a bit closer than arms length, slightly shocked as he stared into the unseeing brown eyes of his best friend.

"How could you possibly think that, Dan? You just couldn't bring yourself to see... no, not see, but feel her presence... gone? You just don't want to have to experience that kind of a thing, and that's all right. No one will be angry at you for it," Phil wiped the stream of tears from his own face (in vain as they kept falling from his eyes) before cupping Dan's face in his hands so that he could angle Dan's face towards his eyes, giving it the illusion that Dan was looking straight at him for the first time since they met, "Your mum would understand. Not everyone is strong, and they don't have to be. She would know you loved her, still love her, even though you're not there with your dad. Don't ever think of yourself as a bad son. Your mum loved you so much, and she was a wonderful person, and you're just as wonderful of a son, a best friend. And you don't ever deserve to be thought of as anything less, okay?"

Dan was sobbing again, but he nodded through the tears as Phil let go of his face and Dan tried to wipe the tears away, eventually giving up and instead deciding to cling to Phil again. Phil leaned back against the wall and Dan buried his head in Phil's chest again.

It would be another few hours before they spoke again.

-later at four fourty-five in the morning-

Dan had fallen asleep a while ago on Phil, who remained slumped against the wall, but still wide awake. His mum had called him, but she let him stay where he was, as she had heard the news about Mrs. Howell and was with her husband at hospital, along with Mr. Howell. They were going to stay there until everything was sorted with the doctors and coroners, and she suggested that Phil stay with Dan until Mr. Howell could make it back to the house.

So, there Phil was, an arm resting across Dan's shoulder's, the slightly younger boy's face resting against Phil's stomach, his arms limply hanging off of either side of Phil's body, the moon still shining a bit through Dan's window. The sun would be up in an hour or so, though.

What a night...

"Phil...?"

Slightly surprised that Dan was up, Phil looked down at Dan. His eyes were half open, staring into nothingness, still red rimmed from when he had been crying.

"Yes, Dan?"

"I won't ever see, will I? We used all of the money for my procedure on mom... and now she's..."

"Shhh, Dan. You'll get to see. I promise." Phil said, lightly stroking Dan's shoulder with his hand, thinking of the money he had put away himself for Dan's procedure. It wasn't nearly enough, but perhaps when he finally got a job...

"Don't make promises you doubt you can keep."

Phil sighed, but said nothing, because Dan could actually be right about this.

Silence again, for a long time. Phil thought Dan had fallen asleep again until he felt Dan shift a little.

"Phil... can you tell me about another color, please?"

Phil continued to stroke Dan's shoulder, "Of course. What color would you like to hear about? Blue?"

Dan nodded slightly on Phil's stomach, "Okay."

Phil looked out the window, "There are a lot of blue things, like there are a lot of green things. Well, there's just one blue thing that makes it seem like a lot of things are blue. The sky is blue. During the day, it's bright and very pretty, but at night it's dark and almost looks like what you can 'see' right now. The blue sky makes the ocean look blue, and lakes. It's a cool color, by the way. It's a lot of people's favorite color. Oh, people's eyes can be blue, too. My eyes are blue."

Dan gave out a slight cough, but other than that remained still, "Really? Huh. What about the feelings with this color blue?"

"Mostly sadness. When people think of blue, it's mostly associated with people feeling sad. There's even an expression for it, like people will say 'I'm feeling blue today' or something like that. It's a bit of a solemn color, but the brighter versions of it appear more happy. But yeah. Mostly just sadness." Phil tried to explain, not quite focused on the conversation, but trying to be, for Dan's sake. Phil knew that the only reason Dan was asking about colors was because he didn't want to talk about his mom anymore.

Phil felt Dan wrap his arms tightly around Phil's upper waist, causing him to blush. Okay, this was a little weird. Was this an appropriate time to be thinking about how strangely intimate this interaction between him and Dan was? Definitely not. And also definitely not the time to think about how Dan holding his waist was making Phil's face hot and his heart race. Nope nope nope. Fuck that.

"Why is blue people's favorite color when it's so sad? Shouldn't people like a color like yellow more since it symbolizes happiness?" Dan asked.

Phil pondered the questions, but just shook his head, "I don't know why, Dan. People just see blue as more appealing to the eye."

There was a short silence before Dan muttered a reply, "That's kind of depressing..."

Phil let out another sigh, "Yeah, I guess so."

More silence. Phil was a bit surprised to feel the fabric of his shirt on his stomach become wet with more of Dan's tears.

"Please, keep telling me about blue, Phil..." Dan pleaded quietly.

Phil nodded, even though Dan couldn't see it, "Okay, okay. There are other things that are blue, like..."

Phil went on and on about blue for Dan, trying to distract him from what happened, even though the distraction couldn't take away the reality of what had happened. They spent the rest of the morning on the floor of Dan's bedroom, Phil describing blue to Dan in any possible conceivable way, ignoring the feeling of Dan's arms around his lower torso, and the strange feelings that came with it, whatever they were.

-a week and a half later-

A crowd of people in formal, black attire surrounded the grave of Mrs. Howell, their expressions mostly grim, but a few sporting pained smiles as they dropped flowers onto the place where Mrs. Howell was buried. Last of all to approach the headstone were two sixteen year old boys, one holding a white cane while also being helped along by his dark haired friend. The raven haired boy dropped a bundle of flowers onto the grave before directing the other boy to crouch down in front of the headstone, allowing him to trace his fingers along his beloved mother's name before he deposited a wreath of blue flowers in front of the stone.

As they stood up and moved away from the grave towards their parents, the brown haired boy reached for his darker haired companion, pulling him into an embrace.

"Thank you, for being there when I needed you, Phil." Dan whispered, clinging tightly to Phil.

Phil smiled softly, "I'll always be here for you."


	6. Part 6 Purple Was Her Favorite Color

AN: Another big thank you to all of you who have written reviews, faved and followed this story! Sorry for any emotional trauma I put you through with the last chapter but it was necessary for the plot weeee okay so I hope you continue to enjoy this story and all! And don't worry, even though purple is the end of the traditional 6 color rainbow, there will be a few more chapters after this one with some other colors. Yay! Hope you enjoy~

Colors

Part 6: Purple Was Her Favorite Color...

The bright sun shone through the tree leaves, creating a dappled effect on the green grass below as the blades swayed in the gentle breeze. Although the sounds of noisy, bustling city streets could be heard from afar, the air was relatively silent, save for the rustling of the tree leaves and birds chirping here and there. The breeze was fresh, the smell of clean cut grass the most prominent scent to be carried by it that day.

All in all, the day was gorgeous and full of promise, as there were no clouds in sight. But, there was one boy who was oblivious to the beauty, but not willingly so. He couldn't see it, but perhaps, in a sense, he could feel it in the air. Then again, it always felt that way when he visited his mother's grave.

But today was a special day. Special for two reasons.

One; it was the two year anniversary of his mother's death.

Dan was sat there on the grassy hill where many others were buried alongside his beloved mother, his white cane close by, as he had used it to walk to the grave site with his father. He was using his hand to feel the warm surface of his mother's headstone, tracing her name over and over again with his nimble fingers.

It was still hard not to cry about it. When wouldn't it be? Probably never.

"Hey, Dan!"

And there's the second reason.

Somehow, being near to the owner of that voice always made it better.

"Phil!" Dan exclaimed in greetings, feeling an embrace from behind. He could tell very easily that it was his best friend in the whole world. The one who had been there for him that night and held him until the sun rose.

"So," Phil began, without pulling back from the hug, "You gave her more flowers? I brought some as well."

Phil reached an arm away from Dan so that he could take the bouquet of purple flowers he had bought earlier and place them gently next to the blue ones that Dan had brought. There was also a third bundle of flowers, some elegant red roses that must have been from Mr. Howell.

Phil wrapped his arm around Dan again, wanting to make sure that Dan knew that Phil would always be there for Dan. Although he said it a lot, Phil also liked to put into actions what he often conveyed in words. He hoped Dan got the message.

Dan let out a small, somewhat happy sigh as he drew his fingers away from his mother's grave and gripped one of Phil's arms with his hand, "We should probably go get my dad then."

Phil nodded, "Yeah. Where is he, by the way?"

"Dunno. I thought he was around here, a bit of a ways off." Dan answered truthfully. It wasn't easy to keep tabs on people when you're blind.

"Hmmm, okay. Let's go look 'round then." Phil said, letting go of Dan and standing up, afterward helping Dan to his feet.

Taking Dan's arm in his own like usual, Phil started looking around for Mr. Howell. They walked around the cemetery for a bit when Phil finally spotted him near the entrance, already waiting for the two boys.

"Sorry, boys. I don't particularly like cemeteries. You both ready to hit the road?" Mr. Howell asked them.

Dan's face lit up, "Am I ever! This is going to be the best graduation trip anyone has ever been on!"

"Definitely," Phil grinned, letting go of Dan's arm so he could double check that Mr. Howell had packed his luggage as well as his and Dan's the night before, "So, Mr. Howell, ever been to America before?"

"No, not me. How about you, Phil?" He asked, smiling a bit as he got into the passenger's seat of the shuttle that would take them all to the airport. Phil took a seat in the back with Dan.

"Nope!" Phil answered, needlessly helping Dan with the seat belt. Dan could do it himself, but Phil enjoyed being helpful.

"Well, then it will be an adventure for all of us!" Mr. Howell smiled, turning to talk to the driver of the shuttle.

Phil jumped a bit as Dan unexpectedly touched his arm and grabbed hold of the edge of the sleeve of his red T-shirt, "You have to describe everything to me, okay? I want to know everything about what America is like."

Phil laughed a bit, "Of course I'm going to describe everything to you. What did you think I was just going to let you figure it out yourself from the sounds and smells and stuff?"

"No, but I just had to be sure," Dan replied, smiling, turning a bit towards Phil, "It's not every day you get to go to California."

"True." Phil agreed as the shuttle started moving.

He was so excited for this trip. Phil, Dan and Dan's dad had been planning this trip for a year now, a kind of celebration excursion, as well as just a chance for Dan to spend some time with his dad before he started going to Uni. Sure, Mr. Howell would still have Dan with him (or so Dan thought) at the house, but Dan was sure to be very busy with all of the work that came with being in Uni, so it would be good to spend time with him for a week in America.

After arriving at the airport, the three piled out of the car, Phil helping Dan out with his luggage so that Dan could have his hands mostly free to use his white cane and walk without running into anything or tripping on his face. And finally, several hours later, they were on the plane taking off, soaring into the clouds above England, on their way to America.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Dan smiled, finding Phil's arm again and shaking it a bit in excitement.

"I know! Though I'm slightly worried since I'm super susceptible to sunburn pain because I'm ridiculously pale," Phil half-joked.

"Then put on loads of sunblock," Dan laughed, coiling his arms around Phil's arm and leaning a head against Phil's shoulder, "You don't mind if I fall asleep on you, do you? Plane rides are rather boring for me since I can't look out the window at stuff."

Phil bit his lip, feeling that weird feeling rise up in him that he felt whenever Dan did something like this, but muttered, "Sure, no problem."

"Thanks." Dan replied, shifting his head a little more to get actually comfortable before closing his eyes, nodding off into a bit of a light sleep due to plane turbulence.

Phil's heart was pounding more and more as he kept becoming increasingly aware of the pressure of Dan's head on his shoulder. Stupid. Why was he feeling so strange? It didn't make any sense. Why was Dan making him so... uncomfortable? Is that the right word? No, it was something else... something...

"Uh, Phil, is Dan asleep?" Phil heard a voice ask. He looked to his left and met the gaze of Mr. Howell.

"Oh, uh," Phil glanced at Dan, a small blush in his cheeks after doing so, "I think so."

Mr. Howell looked past Phil at his drowsy son and smiled softly, "He looks rather peaceful, huh?"

Phil smiled too, "Yeah."

Mr. Howell shifted a bit in his seat, "Listen, Phil, I don't think I ever properly thanked you for what you did for Dan the night... the night his mother passed away."

Phil's lips parted a bit in surprise, "Oh, er, really Mr. Howell it's fine, there's no need to thank-"

But Mr. Howell stopped Phil with a raised hand. Phil stared at the man who was like a second father to him, curious as to what he was going to say.

"Really, Phil. I was... to say the least, an absolute mess that night. I left Dan after telling him his mother died to sort out the news for himself, and that was... unforgivable. You were there when he needed someone," Mr. Howell patted Phil lightly on the shoulder that was currently Dan-free, "you're always there when he needs someone, and I really admire that about you. I'm truly grateful you're his friend, best friend."

Phil blushed even further at Mr. Howell's words, not really knowing what to say other than to squeak, "Thank you..."

It was silent for a bit before Mr Howell struck up conversation again, "I've been putting away money for that procedure to help Dan see. I'm quite a ways away still, but I want to get that surgery for him. He's a good kid. He deserves to see."

Phil grinned, "Yeah, he does. That's why I've been putting away money too."

Mr. Howell's eyes widened, "What? You have? Phil, you don't have to do that you know."

"I know," Phil replied, looking back down at Dan, "But I want to."

Mr. Howell's lips slowly formed a smile, "You really are something else, Phil Lester."

-later after their first day spent in California-

"... and there's all this sand just before the water, which is pretty blue today since the sky is clear. There are a few palm trees, which are way taller than normal trees, and there are only leaves at the top, that are kind of like..."

Phil was describing as best he could the beautiful, crowded California coast in front of him to Dan, who was standing just in front of these rustic looking wooden steps that lead down to the beach, Mr. Howell back in the beach side hotel unpacking the rest of his suitcase. Dan and Phil had announced they were going down to the beach to look around. It was very hot outside, so they were both wearing shorts and tank tops, Dan wearing a rather colorful assortment. He had always asked for colored clothing since that first day he met Phil and he had tried to explain the color red to him. Even though he couldn't see them, he liked the idea of color and so always wore some in one way or another.

"Phil, is it okay with you if we walk down the beach for a bit? I've actually never been to one before..." Dan admitted, his gaze unfocused on the horizon where the ocean met sky.

Phil looked a him in surprise at first, then smiling, "Well, we kind of have to now that you said that!"

Dan grinned as he felt Phil take his hand and help him down the stairs, as he had abandoned his white cane for this afternoon beach expedition, as it was only a short distance from the hotel and he trusted Phil to make sure he didn't fall.

"Okay, that's the last step. Congratulations, you made it to the California beach! But rules are you take off your sandals first!" Phil announced, taking Dan's arm in his own as he had done many many times before.

Dan laughed, reaching down with his free hand to remove his sandals, "Why?"  
"Because walking on a beach in sandals is so annoying," Phil answered, removing his own sandals with his free hand, "You just constantly kick sand up the back of your legs and it feels awful. Walking barefoot is much better."

"Okay," Dan grinned, "Just don't let me step on a crab or something."

Phil scoffed a bit, "There are no crabs just wandering around, don't worry. You might step in some slimy seaweed though."

"Gross." Dan said, wrinkling his nose but still smiling.

Phil led Dan down the beach, Dan stumbling around at first but slowly getting used to walking in the uneven sand. Once, though, a wave came in surprisingly far and collided with Dan and Phil's feet, surprising them both, but Dan even more so. Phil almost fell onto the sand in a fit of laughter as a result of the shriek Dan had emitted at the touch of the cold water against his foot.

After a while of walking, the two sat down in the sand, facing the water, one enjoying the view of the setting sun causing the water to glitter with it's gorgeous light, the other finding the sounds of the crashing waves oddly calming despite how ferocious they could get.

Out of the calm, Phil decided he should probably ask Dan the question that had been on his mind for a few weeks now, "Hey Dan?"  
"Mmm?"  
"So, I was thinking that since we're going to the same Uni, and your dad is a bit far from the campus and everything, maybe you would want to be my flatmate at this really nice place I'm moving to...?" Phil asked. For some reason, it made him really nervous asking this question. It's not like it would mean the end of the world if Dan said no, it was just a way be closer to Uni with the potential to pay rent easier and all that, with the added bonus of getting to hang out with your best friend every day.

Dan turned in the general direction of Phil, a slightly surprised expression on his face, "Uh, well, er, that's a really great offer Phil... it's just I dunno if I'd be able to help you pay rent. It's kind of difficult for me to get a job... and what about my dad? He'd probably be really reluctant to let me go off on my own because of my blindness and all..."

"I actually talked to your dad about this a while ago. He said he was fine with it, because he says he trusts me and knows you can handle yourself pretty well," Phil explained, the comment about Mr. Howell believing in Dan prompting a small smile to play on Dan's lips, "And as for rent, don't worry about it. I can handle it until you can find something that you can do to earn money."

"Are you sure?" Dan asked, his face concerned.

Phil ruffled Dan's hair, much to Dan's dismay, "Yeah, don't worry about it."

"Damn it, Phil!" Dan complained, attempting to flatten his hair with his hands.

Phil laughed, but wanted to be double sure of Dan's answer to his question, so asked again, "So... flatmates?"

Dan nodded, still trying to fix his hair without being able to see it, "Flatmates. Just don't ruffle my hair anymore, you twat."  
Phil smiled, looking back out at the water. After all these years, he and Dan would be flatmates for Uni! They've come so far together, it was astounding. It was rare to have such a long lasting friendship, and Phil was constantly reminding himself to be grateful for what he had with Dan.

Dan was a wonderful best friend.

"Hey Phil," Dan's voice broke through Phil's thoughts, "What color were those flowers you put on mum's grave earlier?"

Phil was a bit surprised, "Oh, uh, that was kind of random, but purple. Why?"

"Well, first of all, I don't know anything about purple so you're going to have to describe it to me," Phil smiled at that, "and second of all, I was just curious. I always get mom blue flowers, and dad always gets her red roses, so I was just wondering if you give her the same flowers every time like we do or... I dunno. Just curious I guess."

Phil smiled, "Oh. I do actually. Your mum used to wear purple all the time. It was just something I happened to notice so I thought maybe she would like purple flowers."

Dan nodded, "Makes sense. She used to tell me that purple was her favorite color..."

Phil's smile softened, "It's a nice color. You don't see it around much in nature except for like with flowers, some animals, gems, the sunset every now and then. But yeah, it's mostly seen in clothing and stuff. It's a cool color, like green and blue, and it's actually a mix of blue and red. It's associated with stuff like royalty and wealth and stuff."

"Well, my mom did like to joke around that she was queen of the house," Dan commented, laughing a bit, "No wonder purple was her favorite color."

Phil laughed too, "Yeahhh, purple is pretty luxurious and all that. It is a really beautiful color though, often kind of soft, but deep. Really deep if there's a lot of blue in it rather than red."

"Colors just sound so complicated sometimes. They can change to be lighter and darker and you can make more colors by combining them... I really wish I could see them so I could fully understand what they are," Dan said as Phil leaned back on his hands in the sand, "not that your descriptions aren't helpful in trying to picture what they could be like though, Phil."

"S' fine." Phil muttered, still staring out at the sunset. He liked to try and explain colors to Dan. It was a challenge, and a fun challenge at that.

He heard a sigh from Dan, and looked over at him, watching silently yet panicking internally for some ridiculous, unknown reason as Dan reached out for Phil and, upon finding him, settled himself in such a way that he could lean his head against Phil's shoulder again like he had on the plane.

"... your shoulder's comfy..." Dan whispered, still facing the ocean. He said it so quietly that Phil almost missed it.

Phil couldn't really say anything in response though, because after connecting the dots between the pounding heart, fluttery stomach, heated cheeks and ragged breathing he felt like he was going to pass out from astonishment at himself.

Phil just realized he loved Dan Howell.


	7. Part 7 Can I Ask You About Pink?

AN: I know I say this in the AN every chapter but seriously thank you guys so much for the reviews, faves and follows! It really does help keep me motivated to write these and it's fun to read all of your reactions and feedback to the story! I hope you continue to enjoy this as much as you have :D There are only two or three more chapters after this one!

Colors

Part 7: Can I Ask You About Pink?

Dan and Phil were walking together out of their last class of the day. _Finally_ , Phil thought. Uni really wasn't agreeing with him, and Dan had admitted he didn't enjoy it either. The only thing that had kept their first year of classes remotely interesting was the fact that the two of them shared a few classes, and of course the fact that they'd been flatmates ever since starting there. Phil really enjoyed being able to wake up and see Dan reading braille books or playing loud video games in the lounge. It just always put him in a good mood for the rest of the day.

When they first moved in though, it had been a bit difficult for Dan since everything was different from his old house. He would stumble over things or hit something accidentally with his legs for a while, but eventually he got used to the layout of the flat and could traverse it without hurting himself. Although, Phil had once bought a rather large house plant that Dan knocked into, then tumbling to the floor and taking the plant down with him. After the initial grumbles of annoyance at tripping and having dirt spill all over the floor of the flat, the two burst into laughter, Dan attempting to toss handlfuls of soil at Phil, actually hitting him once.

Yeah, as much as they would have problems every now and then, they still enjoyed sharing a flat together. Dan was especially appreciative of Phil's company, as Phil was a big help in helping him around and making him feel normal despite not being able to see.

On this particular day, Phil was thinking about all this with Dan on his arm (he was as tall as Phil now!) as they walked down the hallway to the exit of the main building, when he started to notice a few more people were staring at them than usual. Quickly yet subtly, Phil began to look him and his companion over, but didn't really notice anything particular. Maybe it was because they were wearing a lot of color while most people tended to wear black or gray here? No, that's ridiculous. They've been doing that all year. Why would people just now start taking notice of that?

"You okay, Phil?" Dan asked as Phil let go of Dan for a moment to open the door for him.

Wondering if Dan's blindness somehow enabled him to be telepathic, Phil watched as Dan walked through the doorway, his white cane in hand, "Yeah. Why?"

Phil walked through after Dan and slipped his arm back through Dan's as Dan shrugged, "I don't know. You seem a little tense is all."

"Hm, do I?" Phil said distractedly, catching someone else looking at them.

Dan remained silent as the refreshing breeze tugged at his clothes and hair, not quite cold enough to make him shiver.

"...yes."

Phil looked over at Dan, blushing a bit at the proximity of their faces, "Look, it's nothing okay? Don't worry about it. Do you wanna get something before heading home? We could scout out that bubble tea place PJ was telling us about."

Dan smiled a bit but seemed unconvinced about there being 'nothing' making Phil tense, "Sure. Do you know where it is?'

"No," Phil replied, grinning and looking ahead, "but a little exploring never hurt anyone."

-later-

"Oh, there it is!" Phil exclaimed, startling Dan a bit.

"Finally! I feel like we've been walking for ages." Dan complained as Phil dragged Dan across the street, steering clear of things that Dan could run into and entering the bubble tea shop.

"Do you wanna sit down while I order, or...?" Phil asked, stepping in line, Dan still linked to his arm.

Dan considered a moment before replying, "Nah, I'll just order with you."

They waited in a patient, comfortable silence for the line to move forward, Phil taking the extra time to look at Dan out of the corner of his eye. Sure Dan couldn't see him staring, but it still made Phil feel uncomfortable and impolite to stare at Dan directly for too long. He looked so relaxed, his arm linked in Phil's. Their hands were so close... they always were when Phil would walk with Dan anywhere. It would be so easy to take Dan's hand... he may even shrug it off as Phil getting tired of tugging on Dan's arm to guide him places and just deciding to hold his hand instead. He'd done it before. But what if he didn't just shrug it off? That would be embarrassing. Besides, Phil didn't want to ruin their perfect friendship.

It was a bit strange that although Phil had been friends with Dan since they were seven, they never talked about their non-existent love lives, sexualities, anything. It just never really came up. Sure, Phil had had a few crushes here and there, but they didn't make him feel the way he felt about Dan. It just felt... right. To him at least.

Dan? He had no idea, and he was too scared to find out.

"Hello, Earth to Phil?"

Phil blinked a couple of times, suddenly realizing that he and Dan were at the front of the line for their bubble tea.

Dan grinned mischievously in the direction of Phil, "Are you going to order, or are you going to make me stand here all day while you daydream about Delia Smith?"

Phil's face flushed as the cashier let out a small giggle, clearly catching Dan's question.

"Um, sorry, I'll have..." Phil gave his order while Dan tried to quiet his laughing.

The girl taking their orders gave them the price of the drinks, and then turned to Dan, "By the way, loving that pink shirt. I don't see many guys rocking such a bright pink as well as you."

"Oh, ah, thanks." Dan smiled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

Phil grinned too. Of course, the cashier lady knew he was blind, but she probably didn't know about Dan's history with trying to understand color. He had a feeling Dan would be asking about pink soon.

Phil handed the girl the money and she handed them their drinks, giving them a cheery, "Have a good day you two."

"Thank you!" Phil smiled back, taking the drinks and stepping out of the way for the next customers with Dan.

Phil untangled his arm from Dan's and bumped one of Dan's arms with the hand that held his blind friend's drink, "Here you go."

"Thaaaank you," Dan said, reaching up to where Phil had bumped his arm and taking the drink.

They both took a drink and Dan asked, "What d'you think?"

"It's pretty good. The little bubbly things aren't super great though," Phil answered, taking Dan's arm whose hand was holding his white cane, "You?"

"I like it. It's really good." Dan replied, smiling as they started out of the shop and into the cool London air.

It was a nice day out. There were some clouds scattered around in the sky that would occasionally block out the sun, the gentle breeze rustling the scattered potted plants. The roads were ridiculously loud, making it hard for the two to carry any conversation as they walked down the pavement to their flat, but the bubble tea provided a legitimate excuse not to have to hold conversation at all. Dan couldn't really use his white cane properly with a drink in one hand and his other arm linked with Phil's, so he pressed into Phil's side a little more than normal.

The pleasant, almost suffocating contact caused a blush to creep into Phil's cheeks, and for once he was actually kind of glad that Dan was blind. He wished he could suppress the feelings he got around Dan, because it made things rather awkward sometimes. Not for Dan, obviously, but for Phil, it had gotten increasingly difficult for Phil to even touch Dan without his heart rate speeding up and his cheeks burning. He felt like a stereotypical love sick school girl, and it was driving him crazy. Sometimes, he just wanted to go for it, but the thought of ruining his deep friendship with Dan always stopped him.

It would be fine. Phil would be fine with just friendship.

But, of course, the universe just loved to work against Phil.

Because he hadn't stupid been paying attention, he hadn't felt Dan's grip on his arm loosen. He hadn't realized that Dan was walking ahead of him. He hadn't noticed the loud rumbling of cars ahead.

Quickly refocusing on his friend only a pace ahead of him, he realized that Dan had tripped on the edge of the pavement that dropped a small distance to the road, and he was falling forwards towards where all those cars and buses were zooming past.

Panic taking control of Phil at the thought of his best friend getting run over, Phil reached out quickly, wrapping his arms around Dan's waist tightly and using all his strength to haul Dan backwards, perhaps using a bit too much force as they both toppled backwards, landing on their butts on the pavement. Dan was shaking a little bit as he sat leaning back against Phil's chest on the pavement in shock, a few passerby's gasping and staring.

"P-Phil, what happened?" Dan asked.

Phil let out a breath of relief, "Sorry, I should've been paying more attention. You almost fell into the street..."

Dan gulped, "Well... you saved me, so..."

"Yeah..." Phil held Dan's waist a little tighter, somewhat scared to let him go. Suddenly though, he became aware of the position they were in, Dan wedged between Phil's legs and leaning against his chest, Phil's arms wrapped protectively around his blind friend, and his face flushed crimson. He hoped that Dan's head wasn't close enough to his face to feel the heat radiating off it.

Note to self, Phil- stop daydreaming while walking with Dan.

Finally, Phil let go of Dan and slowly stood up, face still bright red. He picked up Dan's white cane which had fallen nearby and his and Dan's spilled drinks, tossing them before reaching down and nervously taking Dan's hand to help him up. God he wanted to keep holding onto Dan's hand long after it was necessary, but after Dan got up he did something that Phil was equally happy with, if not feeling a little guilty about since he almost cost Dan his life. Instead of taking his white cane, Dan just wrapped both his arms tightly around Phil's right arm, pulling himself close to his friend.

Phil felt his legs almost turn to jelly as he started walking again, much more carefully this time.

Before they had gotten far, Dan said, laughing nervously, "Thank you for saving me, Phil. I think I'll just stick as close to you as possible now."

Phil smiled to himself softly, "Promise…?"

 _Oh God, why Phil, why did you say that?_ Phil thought.

Dan's face softened a bit at that, a small smile playing on his lips, "Promise."

Phil felt like he was going to explode if he kept getting these butterflies as intensely as he had been that whole day, and just when he thought this, he felt a hand clasp his.

Blushing like mad, he looked down and saw not only Dan's arms curled around his, but also one of his hands holding onto Phil's.

"W-what's this for?" Phil stuttered as they finally reached their apartment building.

Dan smiled, a nervous smile on his lips, "I'm keeping my promise."

Phil bit his lip as they reached the bottom of the stairs to their flat, "Oh, r-right."

"Why are you stuttering?" Dan asked, a faint blush on his cheeks as they started to ascend the stairs.

"I d-dunno, I just maybe, because- well I- it's just like- I er-" Phil tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for his behavior other than the truth, but his brain felt like it just completely shut off.

It was silent for a while, Dan smiling a bit but appearing like he was thinking. Meanwhile, Phil was having a hard time breathing, not just because of ascending the massive amount of stairs, but also because Dan freaking Howell was holding his hand, and it was different from the other times. He wasn't doing it to have Phil guide him anywhere. So why was he? 'Keeping my promise'… Was he really though? And did he intend to keep it for longer than just this one time?

And suddenly, they were at the apartment door, and Phil used his free hand to fumble for the keys.

"You still haven't answered my question," Dan pointed out as Phil fit the key in the lock and opened the door, leading Dan inside.

"Oh, haven't I?" Phil asked sheepishly, closing the door behind him. Dan wasn't letting go of his hand.

"No," Dan said simply, "Can you please?"

"I, um, I was thinking you could ask me about pink first," Phil replied lamely, trying to avoid the subject as Dan carefully made his way to the couch, sitting down with Phil, still wrapped tightly around his arm.

"You want me to ask you about pink?" Dan asked.

Phil answered a little too desperately, "Yes, please, ask me."

Dan let out a laugh, "Ooookay Phil. Can I ask you about pink?"

"Sure," Phil replied, attempting to calm himself down but finding it very hard as Dan curled his legs up to the side on top of the couch and leaned his head against Phil's shoulder, "S-so, pink. It's a much less intense version of red. Um, er, it's a soft color usually, but sometimes can be very bright, like your shirt."

"I actually wanted to ask about that," Dan said, Phil able to feel his mouth form every word against his shoulder, "Why did that girl say that guys usually can't rock pink? Do they not usually wear pink or something?"

"No, actually. It's kind of regarded as a feminine color. Girls wear it a lot. Boys, not so much," Phil answered.

"Okay, so is there a color for boys then?" Dan asked, pressing a little bit more into Phil, causing Phil's heart to pound.

"uh-um, yes, blue actually, um…" Phil said, swallowing nervously.

Dan suddenly looked perplexed, "That's kind of sad. Boys like the saddest color."

"Yeah…"

"Well, what about this pink? What is it associated with in terms of feelings?" Dan asked curiously.

"Um," crap why did Phil think this was a good idea, "Pink is associated with love… like the soft kind. It's not fiery like passion, but rather fluffy and sweet. Like candy floss, which is a perfect example because candy floss is also pink."

"Really?" Dan asked, his unfocused gaze close to meeting Phil's sideways glance he was giving him. Slowly, very slowly, the hand Dan wasn't using to hold Phil's snaked its way up to Phil's face, cupping the cheek furthest from Dan. He softly turned Phil's face towards his, and Phil flushed at how close they were.

"Er- yeah, r-really," Phil answered.

"What else is pink?" Dan whispered.

"U-um, some flowers, sometimes the sunset, some gems, flamingos, and… and…" Phil couldn't help but stare at Dan's lips. Were they moving towards his or was he crazy?

"And…?"

They were definitely moving towards his.

"… lips…" Phil muttered quietly as he closed his eyes, and a moment later a pair of soft, warm lips pressed against his own.

Relief flooded through him, and he felt amazing. Dan's lips felt amazing as they kissed him, and then kissed him again. And again, and again…

Phil slowly let himself fall forwards on top of Dan, Dan laying back on the couch, their lips still connected as Dan ran his hands through Phil's hair, Phil running his hands down Dan's sides, letting them hold onto Dan's hips when they got there. They entwined their legs together, not wanting to stop because holy shit this was the best thing either of them had ever experienced.

They finally pulled apart gasping for air, but still so so close together.

Dan cupped Phil's face in his hands gently, smiling up at him, his gaze still unfocused like always but a new spark in his eyes, "I feel pink for you, Phil."

Phil grinned widely as he stared down at his best friend, his best friend whom he had just kissed, "I feel pink for you too, Dan."

And then, they kissed again.


	8. Part 8 Black and White?

**AN:** So many reviews, faves and follows! I love seeing all of them, it just brightens my day a ton you guys! Especially since you all seem to really like this fic :D However, like many good things, the end is nigh for this story, as the next chapter will be the last. I hope you like how I finish this and thank you for reading and enjoying it thus far!

 **Colors**

 **Part 8- Black and White...**

Phil woke up enjoying the soft warmth of his duvet and the body pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped loosely around the other, still sleeping form. He smiled as he let the side of his face rest gently against the curly, soft brown hair of the blind boy he was so glad to call his boyfriend of three years. The sunlight drifted lazily into their room from a crack in the yellow curtains, illuminating a strip of the still rather dim room.

What time was it?

Without moving anything else, Phil's icy eyes shifted to the bedside clock, the time reading eleven thirty-ish, the usual waking hour. Dan still seemed rather tired though, so Phil decided to slip out of bed and make breakfast, doing so as carefully as possible so as to not wake Dan. He was only wearing some boxers and a long, dark blue T-shirt, but he didn't bother to change or put anything else on. It was only him and Dan after all. Plus, he was feeling lazy.

As Phil started to get out the ingredients for pancakes, he decided to check how much money he had saved for Dan's procedure, a usual morning ritual for him at this point. Last he checked he was rather close, but he'd forgotten if he had put anything away recently.

Phil got out his phone as he lit the stove, unlocking it as he yawned widely and then checked his bank account, a violent gasp escaping his lips as his eyes widened in shock. He nearly dropped the frying pan he was holding in his other hand.

How had he gotten so much money all of a sudden?! It was the right amount for the procedure too! More than enough!

Abandoning breakfast for a moment, Phil searched through his account activity log, pleasantly surprised to find a transfer from Mr. Howell. He had made transfers to the account before, as both he and Phil had agreed on transferring all of Dan's procedure money to Phil's savings account. This transfer though... it was much larger than any of the past transfers Mr. Howell had ever made. It astounded and puzzled Phil. He decided to shrug it off for now, because Dan freaking Howell was going to see!

Phil grinned like crazy, squeaking out a "Yes!" into the apartment's air, clutching his phone and the frying pan equally as hard as he set about making pancakes again, this time moving about rather energetically, doing little dance moves sometimes as he went. He was so excited!

He couldn't help but imagine Dan's face when he told him and grin even more.

Wait, tell Dan.

As much as Phil just wanted to tell Dan as soon as possible, an idea occurred. He had to do something fun or different or mysterious. It would be more dramatic and exciting that way. And absolutely amazing.

"Phil?" Dan called, sounding rather groggy still.

Phil stopped his jumpy, dancey movements and turned around from the stove where he was making the pancakes and smiled at the sight of Dan. He was all wrapped up in the duvet, his eyelids still half closed, his hair an absolute mess as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

Phil almost forgot to respond, "Goooooood morning Dan! I'm making pancakes."

Dan grinned sleepily, "Is that what that smell is?"

"Yup!"

"You seem rather cheerful this morning," Dan remarked, dragging the duvet as he made his way to Phil, finding his shoulder and resting his chin on it. He was taller than Phil, now, and just like Phil used to poke fun at Dan, Dan now enjoyed poking fun at Phil for being shorter than he was.

Phil just smiled, "There's just a lot to be happy about today."

"Oh?"

"Mmm hmmm. Because pancakes are always the best."

Dan grinned in response to Phil's reference to their conversation the day Phil had explained yellow to him.

"What else?" Dan asked.

"What do you mean?" Phil asked innocently as he continued making pancakes, letting Dan continue to rest his head on his shoulder.

Dan shook his head slightly, wrapping his arms and the corners of the duvet around Phil's waist, "You, Phillip Lester, know exactly what I mean. I know you well enough to know that there's something else making you so happy this morning, so spill the beans."

"Careful with that!" Phil warned, removing the duvet from the close proximity it had been in to the stove, "It could catch on fire and then we'd be roasted alive. It was close to the stove."

"Phiiiiiiiiiil-"

"I'll tell you later. But first, you have to come with me somewhere," Phil said mysteriously, grinning mischievously to himself. He had devised a great, but not overly theatrical reveal.

"Hmmmm all right," Dan said, removing his head from Phil's shoulder and attempting to kiss him on the cheek but instead ended up kissing his temple, "but you need to give me some of those pancakes before I go anywhere. Also I need to take care of this bloody, curly hobbit hair first. I may not be able to see it, but I don't think I need to to know that it looks ridiculous. It just... feels ridiculous enough as it is."

Phil rolled his eyes as Dan started to make his way out of the kitchen with the duvet tightly wrapped around him still, a little bit of it being dragged across the slippery tiled floor, "I like your hobbit hair. S'cute."

"Shut up."

"Love you!"

"Hate you!"

Phil grinned as he placed the pancakes he had just finished on a plate and took his phone out again, calling the number he had been researching for quite some time.

"Hello! This is Dr. Schmidt, ophthalmologist. Would you like to make an appointment?"

"Yes, this is Phil Lester, and I would like to request a pre-screening exam for the sight returning procedure for my partner, Dan Howell..."

-Later-

"Phiiiilllll," Dan whined, his fingers intertwined with Phil's as he led him to... somewhere, "Where are we going?"

Phil grinned to himself again as the two approached the looming white building, the London sky dark with swirling gray clouds. The sky really should be brighter and the air warmer for this kind of thing, Phil thought.

"Phil I swear to God-"

Phil stopped in his tracks just in front of the glass double doors, Dan following his lead and turning to face the direction of Phil, about to say something else but Phil silenced him before he could say anything, "We're here!"

"Where's here?" Dan asked curiously, a cold breeze causing him to shiver a little bit.

"Are you cold?" Phil asked, holding Dan close to him.

Dan smiled but huffed in annoyance, "Seriously Phil, where are we?"

"Well, hospital, actually," Phil answered, pausing slightly before continuing, "We're here to see an ophthalmologist for a pre-screening for a certain procedure..."

Dan's unfocused eyes widened in surprise as his hands suddenly clutched at the back of Phil's jacket, "P-Phil? You don't mean... THE procedure, do you?"

Phil grinned, "I do mean that procedure. Dan, you're going to see."

Phil felt Dan's grip on his clothes tighten and he started shaking, burying his face in Phil's shoulder. Surprised and worried, Phil looked at Dan, but couldn't see his face as it was pressed into his jacket.

"Dan...?" He started nervously.

At the sound of his nervous lover's voice, Dan lifted his face from Phil's shoulder, a few tears trailing down his face, but he was grinning, "Phil... Phil- I- did you- I can't... Oh my God!"

Phil's grin returned, "It's going to be so amazing, isn't it Dan!"

"You know what else is amazing?" Dan asked, kissing Phil on the lips before continuing, "You. You're amazing, Phil! I can't believe you did this for me..."

"Not just me, though. You're dad also pitched in quite a bit of money." Phil smiled as he took Dan's hand again and led him carefully into the hospital building, the smell of cleanliness and antiseptic greeting their nostrils.

"Is he coming here too?" Dan asked as they took a seat in the waiting room.

"No, unfortunately something came up at work for him," Phil said, "But he'll be here for the actual procedure and when you get to see for the first time."

Dan clasped his hands together, "And when will that be?"

"If all goes well today, about twoish weeks for the procedure and another week or so for actually being able to see."

Dan seemed to be calculating when that would be in his head and then started smiling, "That's when the firework show is, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Phil said enthusiastically, "You'll get to see those for the first time."

Dan just beamed as he sat there waiting with Phil, talking excitedly about what seeing was going to be like. Phil was excited for him too, but was a little apprehensive as well. What if when Dan saw him, he wouldn't like his appearance and then break it off?

Phil shook his head. That would be ridiculous, and Phil knew it.

Why?

Because he knew Dan. He knew Dan better than anyone else, and Dan was too good to do something like that. Of course, one can't exactly help who they're physically attracted to...

"Hey Phil," Dan said, snapping Phil away from his thoughts, "What's the room here like? The hospital and all that? Tell me everything. I wanna visualize it in my head,"

"Why?" Phil asked, amused, "Do you wanna start seeing early or something?"

Dan smiled and leaned his head against Phil's shoulder, "Maybe."

Phil rolled his eyes but looked around the rather bare room, "It's not very exciting. Just a bunch of plain white walls, a fuzzy black carpet, though there's white tile by the desk and down the hallways leading out of the room. There are a few-"

"Black and white?"

Phil blinked and looked down at Dan, "Have I never explained black or white to you?"

Dan shook his head slightly, "No."

"Oh. That's strange. They're everywhere," Phil started, putting an arm around his blind friend's shoulders, "Well, black and white are opposites of each other. They don't really belong to either the warm color group, or the cool color group, and that's because black is the result of you mixing all the colors into one and white is the absence of color, unless you're talking about light like in science but lets not go into that. Too complex."

Dan smiled a bit, "And you're rubbish at it."

"Am not!" Phil said, slightly defensively as he poked Dan's cheek with his free hand, continuing, "Anyway, I think black is what blind people 'see'. It's very dark and all that and the sky is black at night. When anything isn't lit up by light, it's rather blackish. The dark makes it so people who see can't even see, at least not very well. It's also a rather popular color to wear. Cats that are black are bad luck, though. There are also other black things, like ants and other bugs, insides of caves, some rocks and shells, coal, but mostly the dark."

"So the dark makes people not see very well..." Dan said, his fingers accidentally poking Phil's ear before sliding across his face and over his eyes, "Like that? Is that dark and black?"

Phil could still see a bit through the cracks in Dan's fingers but he just smiled and answered, "Yeah."

"What about feelings and emotions?" Dan asked as he retracted his hand from Phil's face.

Phil thought a moment before replying, "I don't know if there is a specific emotion for black. There are a few things. A deep, existential-crisis-like, soul crushing sadness could be one way of interpreting it. Or perhaps evil. A lot of bad guys in shows and stuff wear black or other dark colors. The generic robber wears black. Death is also associated with black, which is probably why black or the dark is also associated with fear. A lot of people are afraid of the dark."

"Why's that?" Dan asked quietly, "Because they can't see in it?"

"Probably," Phil answered thoughtfully, "I always thought of it as they were more afraid of the things that were lurking in the blackness that they couldn't see that could potentially cause them harm rather than just the fact that they couldn't see in it."

Dan clenched his jaw, "Wow, sounds sooooo terrible. Good thing they don't have to suffer through that every waking moment of their lives."

Phil looked down sheepishly at the bitter Dan. He wasn't supposed to make him upset! This was supposed to be a happy day for him!

"... buuuut, I think you'll like white more," Phil said, attempting to get Dan out of his bad mood, "Like I said, white is sort of the absence of color. It's very bright and pretty, though it can get boring when it's dull. A lot of buildings are white, clouds are white, clothes are white, some animals are white, snow is white, sea foam is white... Yeah there are a lot of white things."

"And emotions?"  
"Usually kind of blissful or pure. White is associated a lot with stuff like heaven and angels, so it's rather angelic I guess, and just pure and clean. A lot of hospitals or cleaning things are white too. White is usually very clean and sterile. Which makes sense in this case since these hospital walls are all white."

Dan shifted a bit in his seat, "White actually sounds pretty nice. Better than black, anyway."

Phil smiled kissing the top of Dan's head, "Yeah..."

"Appointment for Daniel Howell?" The lady at the front desk called, and Dan lifted his head from Phil's shoulder, Phil standing and taking Dan's hand in his own, helping him up and linking arms with him, still holding onto his hand.

They walked together to the desk and a doctor appeared beside the brunette lady at the desk. He smiled, his eyes crinkling as he reached out and shook Phil's hand, his gray hair shaking a bit as he did so, "I'm Dr. Schmidt, and you must be Phillip Lester and Daniel Howell?"

Phil nodded and Dan answered, "Yep. Pleased to meet you."

Butterflies of excitement fluttered throughout Phil's stomach and he could feel Dan just radiating excitement. He's been waiting his whole life for this, and he was finally getting his wish.

"Shall we get started, then?"


	9. Part 9 I See Rainbows

**AN:** Well, here it is. The last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has followed this fic till the end, reviewed it, and favorited it. I'm glad you all enjoyed it as much as you did, and hope that the ending finishes strong in your minds. I'll continue writing one-shots, and may start another chaptered fic if I get some inspiration. Anyway, I won't keep you from the ending any longer. Enjoy, and thank you~

 **Colors**

 **Part 9- I See Rainbows**

"Are you ready Daniel?" An older man's voice said calmly.

Dan smiled nervously, "As ready as I will ever be."

Phil reached out a hand and carefully took Dan's hand in his own, Mr. Howell leaning forward in his chair next him. Both Phil and Mr. Howell were sat in some rather uncomfortable metal chairs on Dan's left, Dan resting on a hospital bed, though he was wearing his normal clothes. His eyes were heavily bandaged, but Dr. Schmidt was about to remove them. The nurses had dimmed the lights in the room a bit so the light wasn't too much of a shock for Dan.

Phil felt a fluttery nervousness in his stomach. Once again, the fear that Dan wouldn't like how he looked crawled its way up to his head, but he shoved it back down. This wasn't about him or how he felt. This was about Dan, and Phil couldn't afford to miss a single moment of this because of some silly self-absorbed thoughts.

With slightly shaky hands, the doctor removed Dan's bandages slowly, making sure not to cause him any pain. Dan's eyes had been closed under the bandages, so once they were off, his eyelids lifted slowly. He blinked a few times, scrunching his deep brown eyes a bit, attempting to comprehend the world around him.

"...Dan?" Phil said softly. Mr. Howell drew in a barely audible breath.

Turning his head towards the sound, Dan squinted his eyes at Phil, appearing confused a moment before smiling a little, "Phil?"

Phil grinned, "Yeah, it's me, Dan."

Dan started to let out a relieved laugh, tears pricking his eyes and falling down his cheeks. He let go of Phil's hand and reached towards him, Phil leaning over the hospital bed to wrap his arms around Dan. The two boys held each other tightly, and Mr. Howell let out the breath he had been holding.

"You're beautiful, Phil," Dan whispered, much to Phi's subconscious relief, "I'm so glad I can see you... and dad."

Dan looked up from Phil's shoulder where he had pressed his face against his best friend and lover, meeting Mr. Howell's gaze, who smiled brightly at him, tears falling from his eyes as well.

Dan and Phil let go of each other, and Dan sat up on the bed, Dr. Schmidt performing a few vision tests on Dan to make sure he had the capacity to come to understand sight. Dr. Schmidt had warned Dan, Phil and Dan's father that there are quite a few people who after gaining the ability to see, have problems understanding the world around them. Things appear as shapes instead of whole objects, they think that things moving away from them are inexplicably shrinking, they try to touch things that they think are right in front of them when they are actually far away. Luckily, Dan was still rather young in comparison to other blindness recovery patients, so he still had the potential to comprehend seeing.

"Are you feeling overwhelmed at all, Daniel?" Dr. Schmidt asked towards the end of the tests.

Dan bit his lip, "Yes."

Phil started to get nervous as he stared at Dan, who was concentrating on the doctor. This was another problem he had been wary of.

"How overwhelmed?"

"Well, I'm not crazy yet. It's just a lot to take in and understand," Dan explained, looking over at Phil and smiling before continuing, "but I think I'll be able to get the hang of everything. I'm starting to get faces, anyway."

Phil smiled back in relief and a little bit of pride. Dan recognized his face. That was a good place to start. Very good.

"Good. Confidence is half the battle in this case," Dr. Schmidt replied, smiling and shuffling a few papers before standing up from his seat in front of the bed Dan was sat on, "just don't do anything that would involve straining your eyes too much. It's nighttime outside, so you won't have a lot of problems with things being too bright till the morning. Wear those special sunglasses I gave you in the morning so that you don't damage your eyes. You'll have to wear them for a while during the day, but after some time you'll be able to take them off."

"Thank you, Dr. Schmidt," Mr. Howell said, also standing up and taking the doctor's hand in his own in a firm hand shake, "you've done wonders for my son, and I couldn't be more grateful."

"My pleasure," Dr. Schmidt said before turning to Phil, "be careful at the fireworks show. If Dan shows any signs of being uncomfortable with the light, make sure he puts on the glasses."

Phil nodded, excitement and nervousness swelling up in his chest. The time was approaching all too quickly. They had been at hospital for a while that day, but it seemed to go by in a matter of minutes. Soon, Dan and Phil would be at the park, under the light of the fireworks, and Phil would... ohhh God.

Mr. Howell gave Phil a slight nod and a wide smile, "Have a good time, boys. And good luck to you, Phil."

Mr. Howell walked over to the bed and gave Dan a hug, Dan slightly confused, "Are you not coming with us, dad? And why would Phil need luck?"

"I'm wiped, Dan. I'm so happy you can see now, but I'm still an old man who needs his rest, so it will just be you and Phil tonight," Mr. Howell pulled back from the hug and smiled at Dan, "as for luck, when does luck never come in handy?'

Dan eyed his dad curiously as he left the hospital room, Phil walking over to him and helping him down, Dan stumbling a bit as they started walking.

"This is rather disorienting," Dan remarked, his eyes wide as he walked arm in arm with Phil as he had done so many times before.

Phil laughed a bit, "I bet. The whole world looks like it's moving, huh?"

Dan nodded slightly, "So I guess you get used to it after a while?"

"Yup."

"What about colors, Phil? Where are they? Wait, you said the walls of hospitals are white..."

Phil looked over at Dan as he felt him stop, his face pointed towards the wall of the hospital, his eyes scanning it carefully. Eventually he turned to Phil, confused.

Phil smiled a bit, "It's better if you see more than one color at once, probably. That's why I wore these crazy clothes."

Dan looked down at Phil's clothes and his eyes widened.

Phil took a bit of the fabric of his jacket in his hand, "This is red."

He pointed to a crown of plastic flowers on his head, "Orange."

Then he pointed at his T-shirt, which had a smiley face on it, "Yellow, and the lines are black. My hair's black too."

His pale hands tapped his skinny jeans, "Green."

Dan's brown eyes followed Phil's hand to meet Phil's own eyes, "Blue."

Dan took a step towards Phil as Phil pointed down at his shoes, "Purple, and that there is white."

Dan carefully ran the edges of his fingers against Phil's lips "Pink?"

Phil nodded slightly, "Yep."

Dan grinned, "Oh. I see now."

Dan leaned in and kissed Phil, Phil reciprocating, grinning slightly as Dan wrapped his arms around Phil's neck and Phil held Dan to his chest. It was with the sound of an awkward coughing that the two broke apart quickly. A nurse had been walking down the hallway, and not only were the two boys blocking her path but she seemed a little startled to stumble upon the kissing couple.

"Sorry..." Phil muttered awkwardly as the lady gave the boys a sheepish smile and walked past them.

Dan laughed slightly, "Well, um... that was awkward."

"Let's wait till we get to the park for any more of that," Phil laughed, taking Dan's arm again.

They walked for a while through the hospital, Dan attempting to get used to his newly acquired vision. Phil explained as much as he could to Dan, Dan trying his best to comprehend what he was seeing. Occasionally, he had to close his eyes when things seemed a bit overwhelming, but other than those few instances, Dan was doing very well.

"What the hell is that?" Dan asked, pointing to the glass door to the outside of the building.

"Glass," Phil said as he pushed the door open, "You can see through it, but it's solid."

Dan marveled at the glass before turning his attention to the darkened outdoors, "This is so amazing and weird and just... oh my God, Phil, that's green. There's a lot of green, just like you said. It's different somehow though."  
"It's dark out, that's why it looks different than in the building. The lights were dimmed in there but out here, it's much darker. Look up, though."

Phil smiled as Dan looked towards the sky and gasped, taking in the few stars above London.

"That's the sky? It's huge!"

"Yup," Phil replied, still smiling as Dan gawked at the black abyss and glistening silver stars, "Wait till you see it in the day time, or when there are clouds. It looks completely different."

"I want to see a sunset." Dan replied as they started to walk again.

Phil met Dan's eyes, "Of course! We can see one tomorrow when the sun starts going down."

"Okay," Dan said, his face simply beaming.

Dan continued to ask about things or point out colors he knew as he and Phil walked along. As much as Phil wanted to pay Dan his full attention, there was something much more pressing on his mind. Something that was making him shake slightly, his legs threatening to give way under him, but he was determined to follow through with his plan. Three years he'd been with Dan, and he'd been friends with him even longer. It was time, and Phil knew it.

Eventually, the two boys joined a crowd of people at the park, some sitting and some standing. Dan and Phil decided to stand, and waited for the fireworks.

Suddenly, a burst of yellow erupted from out of the black sky, and everyone cheered. Dan stared, dumbfounded as burst after burst of magnificent, luminous colors exploded above his head. They were very bright, and his eyes stung a little bit, but they were so captivating. Phil couldn't help but watch Dan watch the fireworks. He looked so beautiful right then, his lips slightly parted and eyes wide, a look of childish wonder across his face as he continued to stare at the fireworks.

"I see rainbows, Phil..." Dan breathed, bringing his hands together gently in front of his stomach, "and they're amazing. I don't think I could ever thank you enough for doing this for me... or my dad either."

The moment was perfect. The finale was coming up, and it would light the sky just perfectly for the moment that would change both of their lives.

Phil gulped quietly.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a little black box.

"Dan..." his voice said, somewhat shakily. Surprisingly, Dan heard him above the booming of the fireworks and turned to face him, finding Phil on one knee on the grass.

"... Phil...?"

"So, Daniel James Howell. We've been friends for so, so long," Phil began, clearing his throat a bit before continuing, "I always thought you were just wonderful, from the first time I met you. I never cared that you were blind- in fact I always thought it was kind of cool. Of course, it wasn't really to you, but I loved describing colors to you. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, white... I never told you, however, that my favorite color for so long has been the brown of your hair and your eyes. It's so warm and inviting. It was the one color that was always there when I needed it. I think that you believe that I've helped you through more than you have ever helped me through, but you'd be wrong. Being your friend has been the best thing to ever happen to me, because without us becoming friends, we'd never have ended up in this three year relationship."

Dan was grinning now, tears falling down his cheeks, and a few people were starting to stare, even as the finale lit the sky, firework after firework blasting into the night sky, giving the scene happening between the two boys a surreal look as they lit the surroundings with different colors.

"A-and, I'm so, so happy you can see now, Dan. I'm so happy you can witness this with your own eyes, and I'm even more happy that you'll get to witness whatever future we have together with your own eyes," Phil bit his lip as he opened the black case, a silver ring that reflected the colors of the fireworks on its surface, "The pink I've felt for you has never faltered for a second. In fact, it has only grown and swelled and... Dan, I've never loved anyone like you. So, I want to ask you to marry me."

Dan's grin widened and he laughed slightly through joyful sobs, "Of course I'll marry you, you big idiot."

Phil stood up and was immediately embraced by Dan, a crowd now gathered around them, cheering erupting from their mouths as they pulled apart and Phil slipped the ring on Dan's finger.

Dan stared at it for a few moments, Phil planting a kiss on his temple, before he asked, "Phil? What color is this ring?"

Phil smiled as he hugged Dan from behind, the fireworks still raging overhead, the crowd starting to turn their attention back towards the sky, "Silver."

"I like silver." Dan replied, leaning back against Phil's chest and looking back up at the sparkling sky.

"I like you."

"Stop Phil, that was the cheesiest thing in the universe."

"I know."

They stood together under the lights of the fireworks until the sky darkened, and then slowly began to make their way back to their flat, Dan with his sight and a new ring on his finger.

 **-End-**

 **EXTRA**

 _Phil-_

 _You may have noticed the large influx of money into the account for Dan's procedure_

 _and you are probably wondering how I came across the money. I found a note from my late_

 _wife while I was cleaning the room the other day. She must've written it one of the nights_

 _leading up to her death. In it, she explained, much to my apallment that she had not_

 _exhausted all of the money that we had previously saved to use on Dan's procedure._

 _Apparently, the doctors had told her early on that it was highly unlikely that the usual_

 _cancer treatments would cure her, so she accepted her fate and did not take as many_

 _treatments as we thought she did. She moved the money to another account when the_

 _treatments started that only she had access to, and there was still a good sum of money left_

 _in it after she passed. She instructed me to use the money to pay for Dan's procedure_

 _and know that it was better for Dan to get his sight back than waste the money on_

 _useless treatments. As much as I am shell shocked from this revelation, I_

 _realize that her dying wish was for Dan to see, so I will carry out that wish,_

 _regardless of my feelings about the whole situation. Please, all I ask is that you wait_

 _for a while to tell Dan about this. If he asks, don't lie to him. Tell him. But if he doesn't,_

 _wait a while. I would greatly appreciate it. Let him be happy with being able_

 _to see for a while._

 _Also, in regards to your request to marry my son, I give you my blessing._

 _Treat him well as you always have. I wish you the best life you could have with him._

 _-Mr. Howell_


End file.
